Wordless Miracle
by ShandyCandy278
Summary: Traumatized into silence, Adrien Agreste soon discovers school isn't just what he's always wanted. Making friends, and perhaps falling in love along the way, will Adrien ever find it in himself to speak? Or will a past he never knew of come to haunt him? No Miraculous AU, Rated T for some violence.
1. Chapter 1

Shandy: What's up guys?

Candy: Before you read, we just want to say that this story was inspired by Wordsorceress's 'Unsweet Silence'. Wordsorceress's profile can be found on our favorite authors list.

Shandy: Because it's inspired by their story, there will be similar elements. However, we plan on keeping it as original as it can be (which is practically impossible, seeing as we're using characters that we don't own either way XD).

Candy: We hope you enjoy the chapter!

0283750873207582370572308758027305723

 _The boy could only stare as the woman before him fell limply to the ground- his legs trembling and barely able to keep him standing. He watched as the knife dislodged itself from her chest, tearing fear through his body._

 _Her eyes- the ones that used to be the lively shade of emerald green were now replaced with a dull, empty look that sent shivers up the boy's spine. His tears continued to fall as he stared at his mother's lifeless body- blood staining her beautiful golden hair._

 _The man dressed in all black turned his blank gaze from his mother to him. He staggered backwards, glancing between the man and the woman in disbelief, terror, and panic._

 _The man in all black brandished the blood-stained knife toward the twelve year old menacingly, raising the hand up. The boy tripped in his haste to back away from him. In fact, the man had already managed to harm him before his mother had rushed in to protect him._

 _The boy's blood had already soaked his sliced white pajama shirt, and he was still bleeding from the glass shards that he had been pushed onto when the man had pinned him on the ground. The boy backed as far into the wall as he could, staring up at the black-clad man in utter terror. The man raised his hand up higher and higher before snapping it down towards the pre-teen._

 _The boy, in a weak defense, held his arms over his head and prepared to take his last breath-  
_  
Adrien woke with a start, his breathing heavy like he had just run a marathon. He stared up at his high and lonely ceiling for a few minutes before looking down at himself. His arms and legs were tangled in the sheets, and his breathing eventually began to slow.

His black cat, Plagg, meowed in greeting to the seventeen year old boy- jumping onto the bed and trying to attach himself to his owner's side. Adrien reached down and gently scratched and pet his best, and second and closest, friend. The sun, which had risen significantly by now, was shining into his bedroom from his wall of glass.

 _It had all been a dream.  
_  
Well… not exactly.

Adrien sighed and untangled himself from his sheets, standing up and leaving Plagg to follow him to the bathroom. Adrien hadn't slept with a shirt on last night, so the scar right above his heart was visible.

And so were the three other scars on his stomach- as well as a few smaller and hardly noticeable scars on his upper body.

Adrien forced his gaze away from the mirror and quickly relieved himself before showering. Once that was done, he put on his normal outfit and began to style his blonde hair. Except for the shower, Plagg had not left him once- trying to get more attention from the blonde.

Adrien smiled thankfully at the cat and patted his head, earning a purr. He focused back on transforming his hair from 'untamable bed head' to 'perfect swoop', but at one point his eyes strayed from his golden locks to his emerald green eyes.

… His father was right when he said that Adrien looked a great deal like his mother.

Sometimes, Adrien wished that that wasn't the case. Maybe then he'd actually be able to look at himself without remembering that day.

Adrien shivered and hurried up perfecting his hair. Then he quickly walked out of the bathroom and out of his room- down the grand stairs and towards the kitchen for a much needed late breakfast.

8384747473883748584837366374848376336748474747

"What's the progress report, Nathalie?" Gabriel asked, his back facing his assistant as he looked at the photo of what had used to be their complete family.

What he wouldn't give to see it in person again.

"I've already told you, Gabriel." Nathalie sighed, feeling a headache coming on as she fixed her glasses. "Adrien simply refuses to speak, no matter what I do. He doesn't just not speak- he doesn't sing, hum, or do any other verbal sounds outside of a grunt and sigh. It's been that way ever since _it_ happened."

Gabriel growled- frustrated with not only the lack of progress, but for his son's stubbornness and his own inability to be a proper father for his son.

He simply didn't know what to do! He wanted to know what his son sounded like- it was one of the many things that he had looked forward to when he had first discovered Emilie to be pregnant. Watching his son grow from a boy to a man.

And part of that joy- the ability to listen to his son and watch him grow without a care in the world- had been stolen away from him.

They still had yet to find the culprits, despite the many personal detectives he had hired.

But more than that, he wanted his son to recover from what had happened. He wanted to know that Adrien was healing and moving on- that his son would be able to have a better life than this. That, unlike Gabriel, he would be able to live the rest of his life in almost-complete happiness.

"Sir, If I may be so bold, I do have one thing that we haven't tried yet." Nathalie admitted. Gabriel instantly turned to look at her- steely blue/grey eyes boring into her own grey ones.

"What is it?"

"Well, several studies show that sometimes being put into a social situation can help one heal faster." She admitted, tapping a few buttons on her tablet. "And I know that out of the two of you, you were the most against it. However, perhaps it would be best to let Adrien socialize with others his age and make friends. You know, in a public setting."

"You want me to send my son to school?" Gabriel clarified.

"Yes sir." Nathalie nodded, and Gabriel once more looked at the painting of his wife.

"… I'll think about it." He consented. Nathalie nodded, and then left him to think the proposition over with a knowing smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Shandy: Let the plotline commence!

Candy: Reviews!

 **BDemon1995: Thanks!**

 **Anonymous User (Guest): No, I haven't actually. As I said last chapter, this was inspired by a fanfiction written by 'Wordsorceress' called 'Unsweet Silence'. I had no idea that there was an anime like this.**

Shandy: Enjoy the chapter!

986159326975246167471269471649712646719724671926479162

"Good morning Alya!" The brunette with red-tipped hair blinked and turned to look at the source of the noise. She moved her glasses out of the way to rub her eyes in utter disbelief as the speaker approached.

"Girl, since when are you here in time?" Alya asked. The girl who had spoken rolled her bluebell eyes, tucking a strand of her black-highlighted-blue hair behind her ear.

"Haha, very funny." She deadpanned. "Where's Nino?"

"Said that he was gonna be a little late." Alya admitted with a shrug, checking her phone before looking up at the Blackett with her amber eyes. "How's that one project you were talking about, Marinette? Are you still on a creative block?"

"No, I got past it a little while ago." The Blackett, now known as Marinette, brushed off. "I've already made lots of progress."

"That's great!" Alya patted Marinette on the back. "Hey, have you heard-"

"What's up dudes?" Both girls turned to look at the young man that walked up the steps. Like Alya, he had dark skin. His eyes were an amber color, and his short brown hair was hidden well under his red cap. He gave the two of them a peace sign as Alya folded her arms and Marinette waved.

"Good morning Nino." Marinette greeted with a smile. Nino stopped next to Alya and wrapped an arm around her waist, kissing her head.

"Good morning babe." He said lovingly. Alya rolled her eyes and stood up slightly on her tippy-toes to kiss his cheek.

"I love you too, DJ." She replied in a loving tone as well. "Anyway, as I was about to say-"

"Excuse me?!" A shrill screech echoed throughout the courtyard. Alya scowled and muttered an 'are you kidding me' under her breath as they all turned to look at the two drama queens of the school- Lila Rosse and Chloe Bourgeois.

While Chloe was actually trying to get better and be nice, and had sought out their help for it too, Lila was stubborn with her lies. It was hard to believe just about anything she said unless someone who was there to witness it actually spoke up. (Proof given by Lila couldn't be used- she had used false proof before to back up her lies.)

"You heard that right." Lila, the brunette with bangs, hazel eyes, and a low ponytail flipped her hair over her shoulder. "My father is close friends with Gabriel, and-"

"And this is where I draw the line." Chloe hissed, her ocean blue eyes glaring icily at Lila. Lila took a step back, shocked. While Chloe had revealed her lies before (being in the high social circle had its perks), she had never done it this harshly before. "I don't care what lies and stories you come up with, but you will NOT mess with my cousin nor his family! How dare you even imply that you know him and that you're his best friend, when I know for a fact that it's a lie?! If I hear you lying about my family or his family ever again, I will personally call my father and have you kicked out of Paris!"

The whole courtyard was silent in shock as Chloe huffed and turned her nose up at the gaping Lila. Chloe flipped her blonde hair in it's high pony over her shoulder and promptly walked away from Lila without a word, anger still shining in her eyes as she moved to stand next to Marinette, Alya, and Nino.

"Well you certainly showed her." Was all that Marinette could find to say as whispers broke across the courtyard.

"She was messing with my cousin." Chloe said promptly as a valid reason. "She had to know what would happen if she messed with my family."

"What were you trying to say, Alya?" Marinette asked. Alya instantly perked up, and Chloe smirked like she knew what she was going to say-

But then the bell rang.

"Ugh, you'll find out soon enough." Alya groaned, dragging her boyfriend behind her as she began to walk to class. "Come on, shell-head."

"Right behind you, foxie."

"Are you coming?" Marinette asked, looking at Chloe as the blonde walked in the opposite direction of the classroom.

"I'll be in class later, I have to do something real quick." She informed. Marinette nodded and hurried off to class before the bell rang and made her officially late. She quickly sat in her seat and began to work on her bellwork while the teacher took roll. She sat alone in her row- Alya sat with her boyfriend in the very front and Chloe sat with her best friend Sabrina.

It was only a minute or two into class before the door opened. Marinette could see Chloe and the figure of another person- a boy from the looks of it- standing in the doorway. Mme. Bustier nodded and stood up.

"Class, if I could have your attention please." She called. "We have a new student joining our school today. Chloe volunteered to introduce him- why don't you two come on in." Chloe instantly walked into the room in her normal Chloe fashion, while the boy awkwardly walked in behind her.

He looked so perfect- like someone out of a fashion magazine. Marinette was so tempted to draw his face down, but she kept her notebook by her backpack and focused more on trying to figure out what he was like.

He had swoopy golden blonde hair and emerald green eyes that almost looked as though they could enhance you. He wore a white overshirt on top of a black shirt with five stripes across his chest (in order from top to bottom yellow, brown/orange, green, dark green, and purple). His eyes showed his nerves despite the calm mask that he wore over his facial features.

"Fellow Classmates." Chloe greeted poshly, and a few people rolled their eyes. "This is my cousin Adrien Agreste-" A few people gasped, and Marinette certainly had her breath caught in her throat as well as he hesitantly waved. No wonder he looked like he was out of a fashion magazine- he modeled for his father's designs in some of her favorite ones! "This is going to be his first year at an actual school, and he doesn't talk, so if I hear any of you making fun of him I will take personal offence and call my daddy."

"I'm sure that won't be necessary, Chloe." Mme. Bustier admitted.

"I'm just saying." She scoffed.

"Adrien, do you mind if the class asks a few get to know you questions?" Mme. Bustier asked, and Adrien's smile grew a bit wider while he shook his head. "Alright, you can use the board if you want to answer. Chloe, why don't you go ahead and sit down?" Chloe pout-scowled and sulked over to her seat as Adrien grabbed some chalk. Instantly hands raised from around the classroom. Adrien blinked a few times before hesitantly pointing at Rose.

"What do you like to do?" She asked. Adrien happily turned and wrote his answer down in nice, clean cursive.

 _I play basketball, play the piano, and fence. Sometimes I'll game._ He turned back around and pointed at another person- this time Nino.

"What's your favorite type of music, bro?"

 _I love all kinds of music, but if I had to choose it would be rock and roll._ He looked back at the class and pointed at Kim.

Big mistake.

"Why can't you talk?" He asked. With a sharp elbow from Alix, he corrected his question. "I-I mean, were you born that way or…" Adrien's smile turned a bit forced as something flashed in his eyes. Marinette wasn't sure if that was what actually happened or not, because she blinked and the look was gone. He turned to write on the board.

 _I chose not to speak. I don't want to talk about it._ Some whispers shot through the class, and Marinette decided to try and lift the grim mood that she felt going around. She raised her hand up high, catching his attention away from any of the others. Their eyes met in a small stalemate for a moment, and Marinette felt heat rising to her cheeks. He pointed at her, and her mind went blank for a moment before she answered.

"Ah, uh, what are you mostly looking forward to in school?" She blurted out (at least it wasn't extremely personal information). For a moment, she was worried that she had made it worse, but that was proved wrong as Adrien's smile turned into a grin. He happily turned to write on the board.

 _I've been looking forward to making friends with all of you._ He hesitated before writing again. _I would love to be able to make friends with everyone- Chloe talks about you guys a lot. I almost feel as though I already know you guys._ A betrayed look crossed Chloe's face, and when she sent an accusing stare at Adrien, the blonde only shrugged with a smirk tugging at his lips. Marinette giggled at the interaction.

She knew that he would fit right in.

"Alright class, that's enough questions for today." Mme. Bustier asked. She then turned to look at her new student. "We sit two to a table, so I'll let you choose where you want to sit." Adrien blinked at her in slight shock as Mme. Bustier looked out at the class again. "If you have an empty seat next to you, please raise your hand!"

Marinette instantly raised hers and smiled a friendly smile. Although she couldn't see behind her, she knew that Nathaniel was also raising his hand. She was kinda hoping that he'd choose to sit by her, but she wouldn't be hurt if he chose to sit with the same gender. She watched with interest as Adrien looked between the two artists, biting his lip. When he finally seemed to make a decision, he started up the stairs.

She was pleasantly surprised when Adrien stopped next to her desk, pulling out a notepad of sorts. He wrote on it with a pencil.

 _Is it okay if I sit here?_

"Of course." Marinette smiled in what she hoped was a welcoming way. She held her hand out for him to shake as he sat down. "I'm Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

She didn't need him to write to see what his response was through his eyes.

 _A pleasure to meet you, Marinette._

907239057203750827380572037582375087380275082375082

Adrien already liked school.

But now…

Now he was sitting next to a really cute and friendly-looking girl! And once he had her name, he knew that she was Chloe's enemy- the one that Chloe always complained about with the most respectful tone she could muster in her current state.

No, that wasn't the term… rival? But did rivals help each other like that? Chloe never really considered their relationship as a friendship, even though they were clearly friends of some sort.

Frenemies?

Adrien almost scrunched his face up and internally shook his head. Although it worked well to describe it, it didn't click in with the situation.

…

Rivals it is then.

He glanced over at the girl sitting on his left who had been taking notes only a few minutes before. Now though, Marinette was drawing something in a notebook of some sort. Her tongue stuck out of the side of her mouth adorably as she worked (the teacher and the other students either unaware or purposely ignoring what she was doing).

He really wanted to know exactly what she was drawing- the only other artist he met in person on a regular basis was his father. Now he had an artistic friend, too. Unfortunately, he would have to be obviously looking over her shoulder to see just what it was. He didn't want to creep her out or get caught by the teacher, so he turned his curiosity away and focused back on his notes.

Eventually, his eyes wandered over what he could see in front of him in the classroom. Chloe was completely bored, checking out her nails while Sabrina loyally took down notes. The two people sitting in front of them looked friendly enough too- though it was obvious they were dating. He could watch from where he was sitting- all of the sly notes they passed to each other, the under-the-table hand holds, and even a small game of footsie.

He enjoyed watching the 'subtle' actions of affection between the two of them. He had always been a sucker for romance, though he didn't have much experience in the field outside of puns and anime. Part of him was optimistic and hoped to find romance here at school, but part of him doubted it. Most of the girls probably wanted to date him for his money and looks; and most of those would probably decide not to when they found out that he was mute.

The bell rang, and he jumped at the unsuspected sound. He was able to conceal it well, though. The two people in front of him turned around to face them. The boy in the red cap held out a hand.

"Sup, dude?" He asked as the blonde moved to shake it. "I'm Nino, and this is my girl Alya."

"Nice to meet you, Adrien." Alya spoke as Adrien finished his handshake with Nino, holding out her hand. Adrien shook hers as well before reaching for his notebook to write.

 _It's nice to meet the people who've helped Chloe become nicer._ It read. _I know how mean my cousin can be, but she has a good heart._

"We know." Marinette giggled. "But we couldn't do anything until she decided that that was what she wanted."

"Only a few seconds into break and you're already talking about me. I should've known." Chloe scoffed as she leaned against the bench. Sabrina waved in greeting to Adrien.

"It's nice to meet you, Adrien. I'm Sabrina." She said, and Adrien waved back as well.

Sabrina, the girl who Chloe had said was her best friend. A red head with aquamarine eyes. She was also a peppy girl as far as he could tell.

 _So, what do you guys normally do in break?_ He asked.

"Just talk like we're doing right now." Nino shrugged. "We don't really do much else until lunch. That's when we head to Mari's house. She's always got the best food, bro." Adrien glanced at the blackett sitting beside him curiously, and a blush lit her cheeks.

"My parents make the food- they are what make our bakery thrive." She corrected, brushing some hair behind her ear. "I just help them."

Marinette's family had a bakery? That sounded right- he was sure that Chloe had brought it up a few times before.

"Girl, you know that we know that that's not necessarily true." Alya said, waving a finger back and forth. "We had that comparison a few years ago, remember? It was unanimous that your baking was superior to your parents. You just chose to focus all of that amazing creativity on your designs instead." Marinette's face grew even redder.

Designs? Hadn't Chloe said that Marinette had won a few of his father's competitions? That sounded like Marinette. He couldn't help the smile that grew on his face as he watched her reaction, partially lost in thought.

"I-I… oh, shut up!" She groaned. "You're one to talk! You spend all of your time on those blogs of yours! You're just as bad as me!"

"Guys, I think the only one who doesn't have the same problems we do is Chloe." Nino paused, looking up at Adrien. "Or maybe Adrien. So? What's something creative that you're good at?"

Adrien blinked and looked around at everyone before slowly reaching for his notepad, pencil at the ready.

 _Does D &D count?_ He wrote down. Then he waved Chloe over and showed it to her. Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it _is_ like telling a story, and you're pretty good at that and poetry, but if that's what you want to tell them…" She shrugged, and Adrien frowned before looking down at his notepad again.

He finally decided and wrote down 'I play Dungeons and Dragons' before showing it to them.

"Woah, that's cool dude!" Nino exclaimed. "I've honestly wanted to play for the longest time, but no one else seemed very interested."

"Dungeons and Dragons… that sounds familiar…" Aly admitted to herself.

"That's because Papa showed you his collection of items that he saved from his youth last week." Marinette giggled. "Papa has blank character sheets and all sorts of equipment- I'm sure that he wouldn't mind us using them if we wanted to play."

"You're interested in it too?" Nino asked in shock.

"Well, no, not really." Marinette blushed. "It never really caught my interests, but if you guys wanted to play I wouldn't mind jumping in."

Adrien looked at them all in shock for a moment before a smile grew on his face- a goofy one. He went to write something down again, to tell them that they should _totally_ play, but the bell rang and their teacher walked in. He pouted- he liked talking to all of them. They were all really nice and fun to talk to, but that didn't mean that school was fun.

"Looks like we'll have to talk later, dude." Nino said apologetically before turning around to face the front. Chloe and Sabrina moved to go and sit in their seats while Marinette placed her sketchbook on the floor and pulled out some paper. Adrien sighed and pulled out some of his own paper in preparation to take notes. Eventually, some folded paper entered the corner of his vision.

He glanced up at the teacher, who was writing on the board, before looking at Marinette, who was taking notes. Then he grabbed the paper and opened it up to read it.

 _Hey, I meant to tell you during break but I never got the time. I know that this might all be new to you, and that Chloe's got your back- but if you ever need help you can let me know, okay? I'd be more than happy to._

While Adrien's heart grew warm at the words, he couldn't help but notice something else about the writing.

She dotted her 'i's with hearts.

 _And it was absolutely adorable._

Adrien looked over at her as she glanced at him, and he gave her a nod and a thumbs up. Marinette smiled and offered him her fist. Adrien blinked at it for a moment- the memory of a woman in his life who would hold a fist out to him like that for every victory and comfort talk.

He didn't know it, but his smile turned a bit sad before it filled with sincerity and appreciation. He held up his fist and knocked it with hers.

' _Pound it.'_ He thought, remembering the words that they would always say afterwords. He looked away from their fists and into Marinette's eyes for a moment before they both turned back to the teacher to continue their notes.

None of them knew it, but deep down, Adrien was already holding her closer to his heart than the others.


	3. Chapter 3

Shandy: Oh my gosh!

Candy: How is this story already THIS popular?!

Shandy: I don't know, but here's a LOT of reviews!

 **Guest: Thank you, and I will!**

 **F1reEmpress: Thank you, I'm glad you love the story!**

 **BDemon1995: Thank you!**

 **Ambernot: Thanks!**

 **SleepinBeautyK: He learned sign language, but he prefers to write his responses because 1. Other people can understand him and 2. He likes writing anyway (that's my own guess- I don't actually know if he likes to write, but I'm going with it!). No promises on the chapter length or update time, tho. :3**

 **No mercy (Guest): Hate to burst your bubble, but she's actually supposed to be a blackette. Wonder Woman has black hair, but in the comics she has blue/black looking hair. I know that's not the same with all depictions of people with black hair, but it was explained to me by some amazing people on the Miraculous Amino. P personally think that, like Wonder Woman in the comics, Marinette is a blackette with blue highlights. However, I respect those who choose to write her in as a bluenette instead and do not criticize their choice. I know it can be really confusing. :3**

Candy: Enjoy the over-due chapter!

82385037852375280385273085727385727357082375782737

Marinette quite enjoyed the first few weeks of school with Adrien. She really liked him- despite growing up the way that he had, he had a heart of absolute gold and was a total dork! He told them about his cat, some other funny things that had happened in his life, and conversed with them like any other teenager would. Well, except for those awkward moments that Alya would tease with something suggestive and Adrien didn't quite get it.

Hense his nickname- sunshine child.

Marinette felt like he was already getting really close to all of them, but they hadn't been able to hang out outside of school. Adrien even had to go home every day for lunch.

But today, she could tell, was going to be different.

Marinette was early for once, and Nino and Alya both hadn't arrived yet. Marinette looked around to see if anyone of her other friends were here yet, and was happy to see Adrien and Chloe chatting away from everyone else. She walked over to them, the wall hiding her from their view at first. She opened her mouth to say hello, but froze when Chloe spoke.

"Would I really kid about this? I asked daddy, and he talked to your father about it, and he agreed. Nathalie said that you didn't have to come home for lunch today, right?" Adrien nodded, a bit nervous. "And she said that you were free to spend the day with friends as well, correct? No extracurricular activities or lessons- not even a single photoshoot." Again, Adrien nodded. Chloe sighed and placed one of her hands on Adrien's shoulder.

"I understand your skepticism, but I promise you that everything went through your father and that he approved. But he also said that it was up to you whether you went or not. We do this once every month as a group of friends, so if you don't want to do it now you can do it later. You'll miss out on a lot if you don't. Besides, it's over at my place this time. That's part of why your father agreed."

 _The sleepover._

The monthly sleepover that they always had. Chloe had insisted it when she had first asked for help with changing, and now it was both tradition and an unspoken rule. If you were close friends with the group, you went unless something really big came up.

Of course Chloe would invite him, they were cousins after all. However, the fact that she probably had to go through a lot of work and trouble to be able to get Gabriel to agree… It made them seem more like best friends than simple cousins. Perhaps even brother and sister.

Then again, Marinette didn't know because she was an only child. She supposed that that was what Alya felt towards her younger siblings. She watched Adrien smile appreciatively at Chloe before pulling her in for a quick hug. Marinette waited until they had separated before she took a few steps back, and then walking out.

"Good morning Chloe, Adrien!" She called out, as though she hadn't been eavesdropping before.

"Wow, you actually woke up and got here early? That's a surprise." Chloe replied in her typical posh fashion, while Adrien smiled kindly at her and waved.

"Oh shush, I'm pretty sure I broke my personal record, so let me enjoy my victory." Marinette replied, semi-dramatically throwing her arms out wide and looking up at the sky happily. Chloe rolled her eyes when she looked back at the two of them, and Adrien's shoulders were shaking with silent chuckles. Marinette had wanted to know what his laugh really sounded like ever since she had realized that he didn't even vocalize his laughter. She never pried or pressured him though- he'd do it in his own time, when he was ready.

"Personal record?" A snide voice asked, and Marinette internally groaned.

It looked like Chloe's threats of calling her daddy couldn't stop Lila anymore. Adrien clearly hadn't met the brunette yet, as she was in a different class, so he observed his friend and cousin's reaction in Complete confusion.

"None of your business." Marinette glared at Lila and folded her arms.

"What do you want, Rosse?" Chloe said, holding her head up high.

"I came to introduce myself to the new kid." Lila said, walking forward and swinging her hips as she walked right up to Adrien. "Hello there, I'm Lila- the most popular and prettiest girl in the school. And you are?" Marinette watched as Adrien pulled out his notepad to reply, and Lila frowned.

"Excuse me- are you ignoring me?" She nearly hissed in anger. Adrien froze and stared at her with wide eyes. He dropped his notebook and began to make 'no way in heck' motions with his arms while shaking his head. Adrien leaned back down to grab his notepad, but Lila stepped on it.

"If you're not ignoring me then you should say so!" She whined, stepping closer. Adrien looked like he was between a rock and a hard place, his mouth remaining firmly shut. Strangely, it was this set of circumstances that made Chloe and Marinette fall into sync- for the first time ever since their 'friendship' had started. They both walked toward Lila, and Chloe pushed her off of the notepad. Marinette grabbed it off of the ground and wiped the dirt off of it.

"Excuse me?!" Lila screeched as Marinette handed it back to him.

"Here, Adrien." She said. "I'm sorry about all that- are you okay?" Adrien nodded, and both of them turned to look at Lila and Chloe.

"My cousin doesn't speak!" Chloe growled. "He uses the notepad to talk, and how dare you be so rude to him _and_ try to seduce him into becoming your play toy?" Lila was completely taken aback.

"I wasn't going to seduce him!" She screeched. "I was just- gonna ask him out to the gala that Jagged Stone is hosting!"

"Liar!" Chloe pointed at Lila as the brunette's eyes widened. "Jagged Stone is currently living in my father's hotel- I would've known if he was going to have a gala!" Lila's eyes widened and she took a few steps back as her lie fell apart in front of her. Again.

"O-Oh yeah?!" She asked. "Well at least I'm not some brat who has to have her daddy do everything for her!"

You could hear the wall that was stopping Marinette from interfering blow up in response to Lila's comeback. Marinette walked forward and calmly placed a hand on Chloe's shoulder.

"Go and talk to Adrien." Marinette said in a tone that sent shivers down even Lila's spine. Chloe, clearly hit where it hurt most, silently nodded and walked over to her cousin. Marinette stood tall and proud against Lila, whose face was held high so that she could look down upon the young designer.

"Oh, the _baker_ is coming out to play, huh?" Lila asked, a little curious and amused. Marinette had never spoken to her without someone else speaking as well, but what Lila didn't know was that that was the wrong reaction for Marinette's current anger.

"If that's what you want to call me. So, you've stooped so low as to point out others faults?" Marinette asked in an overly-sweet tone. This was about the time Alya and Nino arrived at the scene- observing in confusion, shock, and pride. "Maybe you should take a look in the mirror- and I mean you should take a good, long look at yourself."

"Why?" Lila asked, scoffing. "I look amazing, I don't need a mirror to-"

"All I'm saying is that the pot shouldn't call the kettle black." Marinette said with a false sweet smile. "After all, your lies are just as bad. At least Chloe is trying to make herself better, whereas you are just digging yourself a deeper hole. I thought that you'd know that liar's never prosper- it's no wonder that not even the teachers believe you. Good day, Lila, and please don't try this again." Then Marinette turned on her heel and walked over to her friends happily. Lila growled and glared at Marinette before stomping away.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Nino exclaimed.

"Girl, I didn't think you'd ever have it in you to go up against Lila like that." Alya admitted, holding up a hand. Marinette high-fived it. Adrien wrote something down on his notepad and showed it to Chloe, a bt confused.

"Yes, it's the same Lila that I warned you about." Chloe admitted with a nod. "We used to be friends, but then her lies hurt Sabrina and I. That's when I realized that I wanted to change, remember?" Adrien nodded after a moment and turned to look at Marinette at the same time that she looked at him. He smiled and offered his fist to her, and she smiled and knocked it with hers as well.

"Pound it." She said with a smile- the way she normally did when she bumped fists with someone. She grew confused however when Adrien's eyes went unexplainably wide, his jaw slacked as though he had truly thought that she wouldn't say anything- least of all that phrase. Nino and Alya sent confused yet knowing looks to each other, and Chloe looked just as gobsmacked as Adrien.

Alya and Nino knew that fistbumps were a special thing with Marinette, although they didn't exactly know why. She only gave out the fistbumps to those she wanted to be close to, and for special and meaningful occasions in her perspective. She always said pound it with her fistbumps as well, wether it was in her thoughts or out loud didn't matter.

On the other hand, she had only ever said it out loud to Nino and Alya before- Chloe and Adrien had never heard her say it before.

"Are you two okay?" She asked, a bit confused. Chloe blinked out of whatever state she had been put in and Adrien closed his mouth.

"Fine." Chloe flipped her hair over her shoulder. "It's just a coincidence, right Adri-kins?" Adrien nodded, though it was quite clear that he was still in shock. Marinette shrugged, silently agreeing with Chloe that whatever it was had to have been a coincidence. "Either way, are you guys ready for tonight?"

"I got my tunes set up this morning, dudette." Nino messed with his cap a bit.

"I got the movies and games." Alya said, smiling happily.

"I have the snacks and some crafts to do." Marinette smiled, looking over at Adrien almost curiously. "Are you gonna be joining us?"

She watched as his eyes grew a bit wide and some pink touch his cheeks. Then he seemed to blink out of whatever possible state he saw in and pressed his pencil against his notebook.

 _If you guys want me, I wouldn't want to intrude._ He wrote.

"Of course we'd want to, dude!" Nino exclaimed, draping an arm across the blonde's shoulders. "It would be awesome to hang out in a not-school setting!"

"And you talked about D&D, right?" Marinette asked. When Adrien nodded, her smile grew. "Papa said that he wouldn't mind if we used his sets, so long as we're careful. We could start up a game!"

"I say we do it!" Alya cheered. A smile grew on Adrien's face and he nodded enthusiastically.

"Are you gonna be joining us for lunch too?" When Adrien nodded again they all cheered even louder.

"Dude, this is gonna be _sick_!"

Marinette couldn't have agreed more.

297058375082738523750823758072308750823705870237

Adrien was a bit surprised, to say the least, when they only had to walk across the street to reach Marinette's house/bakery. With how often she came late to class, he assumed that she lived far away- not right next door to the school.

The moment he walked in he was embraced by the delightful, heavenly smell of freshly baked bread, cookies, macaroons- almost anything. He was practically drooling at the sight of them, and he wondered which one of the treats they would be having for lunch.

"Maman! Papa! We're here for lunch!" Marinette called out.

"I'm afraid you'll have to finish the final touches sweetly- the lunch rush started early today." Sabine replied from behind the register.

"What needs to be done Mrs. Cheng?" Nino asked.

"Sabine." Marinette's mother corrected. "And it's just cutting a few vegetables. Your father and I will be up in a moment to eat with you."

"Thanks maman!" Marinette kissed her mother on the cheek before gesturing for her friends to follow. "Come on, guys, we don't have all day!"

Adrien followed them up the stairs and into where the living/dining room was.

' _Princess's house is so much smaller than mine…'_ He thought. ' _But it feels so friendly and smells absolutely divine.'_

"Of course it's the strawberries." Marinette sighed while rolling her eyes. "Alya, you want to help?"

"Course I do, girl." They both walked into the kitchen and opened up a drawer. Adrien moved to see what was in it and froze.

 _Knives._

It.

Was full.

Of _knives._

Shivers went down Adrien's back as his heart sped up in fear. As calmly as he could, he moved so that he wasn't looking at the knives anymore. He certainly hoped that it wasn't suspicious either, so he stared ahead as he tried to calm himself down.

He should've known that they were dealing with knives when they had talked about cutting. You don't exactly cut with anything else.

He looked along the shelves he was next to, trying and failing to ignore the sounds of the kitchen knives cutting into the strawberries. Eventually he came across a family photo, and he found that staring at it made the noise fall away. It was dated about three years ago, so Marinette was Thirteen in the picture. It was in between the one and two year marks of his mother's death.

And yet…

A small smile grew on his face.

They looked almost just like his family photo did. Definitely not the same people, but the feel of it- the emotion in the picture, the liveliness of their eyes- made it almost the exact same.

He wished that he still had that gift. As it was, he was lucky whenever his father took time out of his day to spend with his son. Marinette had the joy of not only bonding with hers- but having both of her parents still around.

' _Marinette's so lucky.'_ He thought. ' _She deserves all of this and more.'_

A strange emotion stung his heart, but he ignored it as he focused more on Marinette than the whole picture.

She actually looked kinda cute at that age.

"-yo, Adrien, you gonna come over to eat?" Nino's call drew Adrien out of his thoughts, and Adrien turned to walk over and eat with them. The knives were still out- he was painfully aware of where they were at all times. He picked up one of the cut strawberries and bit into it, silently humming in pleasure because of the sweet fruit.

"How're you kids today?" A voice asked, and Adrien turned around with a croissant in hand to look at the voice. He almost dropped the pastry at the sight of the large man that towered over all of them.

"Great!" Marinette cheered, rushing over to hug her father. "Papa, this is my friend Adrien. Adrien, this is my papa."

"You can call me Tom, son." Her father said with a sweet smile, and Adrien swallowed down his nerves as he shook the man's hand. Then he felt around for his notebook, which was then held out to him by Nino. Adrien smiled and nodded at his friend in thanks before writing in the notebook.

 _Pleasure to meet you, Tom Sir. I apologize- I don't speak._

"That's okay." Tom smiled down at Adrien and ruffled the boy's blonde hair a bit. Adrien couldn't stop the smile that was growing on his face as he tried to fix his hair again. "You're apart of the family now anyway."

' _A part of the princess's family?'_ He asked in his thoughts, not quite believing it. ' _Now that would be a honor.'_

"Oh, Papa!" Marinette snapped her fingers as she remembered. "We were wondering if you would let us use your Dungeons and Dragons set so that we could play tonight at the sleepover!"

"Who's going to be the game master?" Tom asked, and after a bunch of shrugs and awkward looks Adrien timidly raised his hand. Tom's smile grew as he lightly slapped Adrien on the back.

"Good for you, son. I'll go and get everything." Adrien smiled up at Tom as the man left the room. That's when Sabine came in, wiping her hands off on her work apron.

"Is it good?" Sabine asked.

"Best ever, Sabine!" Alya cheered, already on fourths. Nino chuckled at his girlfriend's antics, smiling at her lovingly. Sabine nodded, and her eyes eventually landed on Adrien.

"Oh, well I don't think I've met you before." She said with a kind smile.

"Oh, this is my friend Adrien, maman." Marinette introduced happily. "He doesn't speak."

"Well that's okay." Sabine gave him a happy little smile. "Are you enjoying lunch?" Adrien instantly nodded vigorously, and Sabine laughed. "I'm glad you like it so much. Family recipe and all." Adrien smiled back, and one thing was for sure.

He loved Marinette's family. This definitely wasn't his last time visiting them.

But, maybe he wouldn't enter the kitchen with the many knives again. He'd probably stay as far away from there as possible.

Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.


	4. Chapter 4

Shandy: It's time for some good old' fluff!

Candy: Reviews!

 **Kagamine Arimonori: I'm glad you like it so much!**

 **fifi (Guest): Here's the next chapter!**

 **Guest: Thank you for telling me that. I did not proofread last chapter. Furthermore, I do not really care what the proper termage is. I like the sound of blackette. :3**

 **SleepinBeautyK: Yes. Just... yes.**

Shandy: Enjoy the chapter!

830275082375870283758023758032750823708570832750837085708237057823757283

Even though this was probably the sixth or seventh time Marinette had come here for a sleepover- even more than that considering group projects and parties- the act of being brought to Chloe's father's hotel in a limo still felt like a dream.

With her sleepover bag in hand and an extra bag for the D&D game in the other, Marinette slowly walked out of the limo. Alya followed with her suitcase and another bag. Nino and Adrien had already arrived if Chloe's 'hurry up' texts were any indication. The doorman opened the door for them and Alya and Marinette both smiled at him gratefully. Once they were inside, they walked straight over to the elevator and pressed the button for the highest floor.

"I can't wait to show off my new swimsuit." Alya admitted on their way up. "I hope it shocks Nino enough that I can push him into the pool!"

"I don't think that that's a good idea." Marinette admitted. "Can't you tone down the romantic competition for a night? The three of us single pringles would surely appreciate it."

"Hmn, three single pringles?" Alya asked with a smirk, raising her eyebrow. "I only see one."

"They're cousins, Alya- that's gross!"

"I'm not talking about Chloe and Adrien." Alya scrunched her face up.

"I'm not attracted to girls either, and I'd rather die before I got together with _Chloe_ of all-"

"I'm talking about you and Adrien, girl!" Alya exclaimed. "I've seen the glances you've shot at him!" Marinette's entire face flamed.

"I-I'm just worried!" She defended. "And curious. I mean, you don't just choose to not make a single sound. Something had to have happened, right? I just think that it would be rude to pressure him into answering that question!"

"Uh-hu. Suuuure, that's why you stare at the back of his head instead of taking notes during class." Alya smirked and rolled her eyes.

" _Alya!"_

"Deny it all you want, girl, but I'm your best friend. I know what goes on in that head of yours." This time Mariette rolled her eyes, but before either girl could respond the elevator opened. Marinette hurried out to avoid further conversation with Alya, her thoughts going hundreds of miles per hour.

Alya did have a point. Recently her stomach would get nervous butterflies beating against her whenever he looked at or talked to her. She often found herself thinking of him as 'cute', 'hot', 'sweet', and other mushy-I-totally-have-a-crush-on-him words. She had even pictured what their kids would look like!

Okay, so maybe she did have a crush on him- but that didn't mean anything! Besides, he'd probably be interested in someone prettier than her that he had already met at work. And even if, for some miraculous reason, Adrien did like her back- his father would most likely not. Probably ban them from ever seeing each other ever again, and-

Marinette opened the door to Chloe's room only to see Nino and Adrien arm wrestling on the floor. Chloe looked away from her nails and at the door when Marinette had opened it.

"The fun has arrived~!" Alya sang as she waltzed in, dropping her bags on the floor and totally quoting a Disney movie on purpose.

"About time you two got here." Chloe rolled her eyes at Alya as Marinette walked in. "So what's first?"

"Swimming, duh." Alya replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Then we can play D&D while Chloe prims us up."

"I like that idea." Nino agreed, distracted with trying to beat Adrien. The blonde smirked and pushed Nino's arm to the floor almost flawlessly. Nino groaned. "Oh, come on dude! That's the fifth game in a row!" The DJ placed a hand to his chest dramatically. "You have ruined my pride as a man! Alya, I am no longer worthy of you!"

Alya rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's statement. "You said the same thing when Marinette beat you ten times in a row. Now come on, we should start swimming now." Adrien perked up at the word- Marinette couldn't help but admire how cute and adorable he looked like that.

"We'll change in the other room- you guys go ahead and do whatever you do." Chloe scoffed as she reached over and grabbed her swimsuit. Alya and Marinette both searched through their stuff for a moment and grabbed theirs before all three of them walked out.

"Ok, Alya, You've only been bragging about it all day." Marinette said as she rolled her eyes, pulling out her pink and white polka-dotted one piece swimsuit with some white ruffles. "Why don't you show us this swimsuit that's gonna make Nino defenceless."

Chloe pulled out her yellow and black striped bikini while Alya smirked. She pulled out the tankini with immense pride. It was orange on top with some white around where her belly would be. The bottom was Orange and shorts-like. Some other material of the swimsuit hung behind her- creating a skirt of sorts that looked like a tail. It was white at the bottom, and black outlined the whole thing.

"So? What do you think?" Alya asked as she began to put her hair in a high pony.

"I think you're right, and that Marinette needs to wear the Ladybug swimsuit I got her."

"I am NOT wearing the bikini!"

"Chillax, I returned it and got a One-piece instead." Chloe smirked as she handed Marinette the bag with the swimsuit in it. "Besides, I'm sure Adrien will _love_ it on you."

" _Chloe!"_ Marinette hissed with an embarrassed blush. She looked between her two friends angrily before grabbing the swimsuit and stomping into the other room. Alya and Chloe stared after her for a moment before high-fiving each other.

Mission Adrinette was go.

8384837626267374848736266363727388373

Adrien had forgotten one itsy-bitsy detail about swimming and his swimming suit.

"Hey dude, I'm gonna go ahead and head on in, okay?" Nino asked. Adrien pushed his hand through the door to give Nino a thumbs up. Once Nino was gone, Adrien retrieved his hand to instead push it through his hair, closing the door behind him. He sighed, sliding down onto the tile floor of Chloe's bathroom.

' _How?'_ He thought. ' _How could I have forgotten about my scars?'_

He didn't dare look down at his chest to see them- the very thought of what they meant and stood for made him sick.

' _Breathe.'_ He thought to himself. ' _It's in the past. You can just use your t-shirt.'_

But that t-shirt was for tomorrow, and his father would kill him if he got it wet. He braced his arms against his knees, and then his head against his hands.

' _Is it possible for me to just hide away in here?'_ He asked himself. ' _Any way for me to just poof out of existence?'_

He remained there for several minutes until he heard someone quietly walk into the bedroom. The footsteps then approached the bathroom, and Adrien braced himself.

"Adrikins?" Chloe asked, knocking on the door. "Are you okay?" Adrien bit his lip and shuffled against the door. He heard Chloe sigh. "You know, you don't have to swim or go out in your swimsuit if you don't want to. No one would hold it against you."

Adrien reached for his notepad, which he had brought with him into the bathroom, and wrote on it.

 _I want to- I haven't gone swimming in a long time. I'm just scared of what they'd think._

He pushed the note under the door, and Chloe understood immediately.

"Adrien, they're not going to judge you. You know that they aren't like that." Chloe pointed out bluntly. "And if they do I'll kick them out. Just come and have fun, please?"

Adrien slowly stood up, but looking himself in the mirror was a deadly mistake. His scars were visible, and that paired with his blonde hair and green eyes made a different image appear in the mirror.

One with his mother's bleeding body.

Adrien looked away and sat down again, trying to get his breathing under control. Chloe sighed from the other side.

"Adrien, we're cousins. We'll always have each other, no matter what. I'll be right by your side. So will they- you know that they aren't like that. Besides, you'll worry Marinette to pieces if you don't come out."

Marinette- the one who somehow knew of his mother's signature fist bump. The one who's smile made the room grow in color- the only one who had almost made him feel like nothing had ever happened to his mother. His only friend he had given a nickname too besides Chloe, and perhaps the closest one too.

He didn't want to worry her.

Adrien let out a long breath. This time when he stood up, he made sure to not look himself in the mirror. He opened the door, and he offered Chloe a hesitant smile when she looked up at him. She patted his head, despite being shorter than him.

"That's the Adrikins I know. Now come on, Alya's probably already pushed Nino in five times by now." Adrien nodded and followed Chloe out of the room. It wasn't a long walk to the pool on top of the hotel, which had been closed off for them (Yes, Chloe was very dramatic).

When they finally made it up, Adrien was very hesitant to walk out and into the open. Unlike Chloe, who confidently walked out and pulled her sunglasses over her eyes- prepared to sunbathe.

' _I got this.'_ He told himself, taking a deep breath. ' _I got this.'_ And then he walked out.


	5. Chapter 5

Shandy: Reviews!

 **Fifi (guest): XD Here's your next chapter!**

 **Ugly-Duckling123: Eh, she's still learning. :3**

 **SleepinBeautyK: Yes, adorableness at it's finest. :3**

Candy: Enjoy the chapter!

75296597365723659723695723659723679523659723567923

It was Marinette who saw him first, waving to him.

"Hi Adrien!" She said happily, swimming over to the edge that he was closest to. She looked up at him and faltered a bit when she saw his scars. Adrien couldn't find it within himself to move. Then she smiled again.

"Did you know that I have some scars on my legs?" She asked. When Adrien shook his head, she pulled herself out of the water and showed him her thighs.

"I was trying to help maman and papa make spaghetti." She explained as he stared at the scars on her thighs. "I was sitting down, and I accidentally poured boiling water on myself. I had to get skin grafts, and I stopped wearing skirts because I didn't want people to ask about them." Marinette shrugged and smiled up at him. "I'm over it now though." Adrien smiled down at her in turn before sitting next to her, dangling his legs in the water.

He didn't know how she did it, but she always found a way to make him relax. He called her princess for a reason, after all.

Although, he hadn't quite found the courage to tell her his nickname for her yet.

 _One step at a time._

A sudden splashing sound brought them out of their moment, and they turned to see Alya laughing her head off and Nino glaring up at her from where he was swimming in the water. Marinette giggled and rolled her eyes at their antics while Adrien shook his head.

"Should we try to give her a piece of her own medicine?" Marinette asked jokingly. Adrien smirked and stood up, bowing down and offering Marinette his hand.

' _If that's what you wish, princess.'_ He smirked when he noticed her swimsuit as she accepted his hand. If she was gonna dress as a Ladybug, he could find fitting nicknames for that too. ' _Let's see… Milady, bugaboo, buginette-'_

"Come on." She said, waving him after her. Adrien followed, and they both managed to sneak up behind Alya and push her in. Alya gasped as she came to the surface, glaring at them.

"Traitors!" She exclaimed.

"How did we betray you if we were never on your side in the first place?" Marinette asked smartly. Alya scowled and turned to her boyfriend.

"Nino!"

"What?" He asked, half scared.

"Team up with me!" At this they all grew confused.

"What're we gonna do?"

"Have a chicken fight, duh!" Alya exclaimed. Before Nino could protest, she pointed at Marinette and Adrien. "We challenge you two to a chicken fight!"

' _What's a chicken fight?'_ He wondered. His confused look prompted Marinette to explain.

"One person sits on another's shoulders and they try to get the other two people down." She summed up. "Generally girls are on top and boys are on bottom though. We don't have to if you don't want to."

' _Sounds fun.'_ He thought, sliding into the pool water. Then he gestured for Marinette to hop on, and she did so. Nino ducked under the water so that Alya could climb onto his shoulders. Then they began to circle each other. Chloe scoffed from where she sat.

"You guys are acting so immature." She said, but her comment was blatantly ignored.

"Three…" Alya said.

"Two…" Marinette continued the countdown.

"One…"

"Go!" Adrien and Nino both walked towards each other and tried to stay balanced while the two girls on top playfully pushed and shoved each other.

"Now!" Alya shouted, and Adrien barely managed to catch himself before he and Marinette fell into the water. Nino had used his legs to try and trip them.

"Sorry bro." Nino grinned with a shrug. "I got a girlfriend that'll kill me if we lose."

' _And I have a princess who wants to win.'_ Adrien replied in his mind, grin growing as he approached the other two again. This time when Nino moved to trip Adrien, Adrien caught him off guard and tripped him instead, leaving the two of them to fall into the water. Marinette cheered happily from above him, and Adrien chuckled.

' _Sorry Nino.'_ He thought when they both came up to air. ' _But a knight always wins for his princess.'_ Marinette started to laugh wildly.

"You should've seen your faces!" She said as Adrien began to gently set her down in the water. She turned and offered him her fist, and Adrien didn't hesitate to knock it with hers.

' _Pound it.'_ He thought at the same time that she said it out loud. Unfortunately- it was then that Alya tackled Marinette into the water, and the two of them began to wrestle. Nino moved to watch the two girls while standing next to Adrien. Adrien shook his head with a fond smile, chuckling once more.

 _His friends were awesome._

For some unknown reason, Nino froze beside him.

"Adrien, dude…" He said in almost awe. Adrien turned to look at his friend's wide eyes curiously. "Did… did you just chuckle?"

Adrien blinked, completely taken aback by the question. Had he? His face became one of deep thought as he looked back on what had happened. He didn't think so- he would have known if he was laughing or not.

"What did you say, Nino?" Marinette asked, swimming over to them and leaving Alya sputtering behind her. She stared at them curiously- water falling from her pigtails and making her look adorable.

"I'm pretty sure Adrien laughed." Nino said seriously. "Like, laugh-laughed." Adrien blushed and looked away, shrugging.

"You know, it's not a bad thing if you laughed." Marinette said with her own giggle, her eyes full of a shy hope. "Laughing's good for people, and the whole situation _was_ pretty funny." Adrien smiled back at her, and saw Alya trying to sneak up on her. At the last moment, Adrien pulled Marinette safely into his arms, leaving Alya to pounce on Nino instead.

"How many times have you fallen for me now?" Nino asked, leaning down and placing his face close to hers. Alya blushed and retaliated by lightly smacking his shoulder.

"More than enough times to know that you've fallen for me more." She said smartly.

"U-Uh, th-thanks, Adrien." Marinette stuttered out shyly, some pink tinting her cheeks as she looked up at him. He smiled back down at her fondly.

' _Anything for you my lady.'_ He thought, bowing and pressing a kiss to her hand. She squeaked, and Adrien learned something new.

He really liked calling her his.

0838056208357878058752387032587035873587053872357

While Marinette loved swimming, she was glad when they had to wrap it up and go back inside.

Because seriously, it should be illegal for someone to look that hot!

And, for that very someone, to pull her out of harm's way and charm her with a kiss to her hand had to be violating a rule too.

Unfortunately, no such laws came to mind, and she was left with her heart beating faster than it should and butterflies making her stomach feel like it was exploding.

Once they were all in pajamas, Marinette helped Adrien pull out the board and other D&D sheets.

"Anyone need a Character sheet?" She asked when she pulled them out.

"Don't need it- I'll just use Queen Bee from mine and Adrien's last game." Chloe huffed, examining her nails.

"We use these to come up with characters." Nino explained to a confused Alya. "I made one in preparation, but I think I'll use the official sheet now that I can have one."

"What's your character?" Alya asked, and Adrien reached for his notepad.

"Carapace is a Bard who wants to do the right thing and loves turtles."

"Of course you included turtles somehow." Alya rolled her eyes.

"Papa helped me with mine, I just need a name for her." Marinette admitted. "She's a sorceress with a yoyo that increases her magical ability and helps her solve puzzles in some situations."

"Queen Bee's a Druid who was forced out of her home to try and prove herself to her family."

 _Chat Noir is a Warrior. He used to be a prince, but he ran away when his father turned evil._ Marinette read the words that Adrien wrote down out loud.

"Wait- aren't you the game master?" Nino asked. "I thought you couldn't have a character."

 _I can, it's just more work._ Adrien replied with a smile.

"Do you need help?" Nino asked when Alya grabbed a character sheet.

"I did my research, I just didn't know that we had to make our own characters." She huffed, scribbling down on the paper. "Prepare to meet Rena Rouge- The Rouge who just likes to cause mischief and is on for the ride."

"If we're basing names off of animals I might as well call mine Ladybug." Marinette admitted, grabbing a pencil and writing it down. Adrien's grin grew, but Marinette didn't notice.

Once they all had their character sheets out, Adrien pulled out a few more papers behind his Dungeon Master divider. He pulled out his phone and pressed a few buttons.

"Welcome to the land of Miraculous." A recorded voice spoke. "A place full of magic and treasures still yet to be discovered. There are mountains up to the North and Forests all around. The capitol city, Fortune, rests under the mythical lake and rests next to the mountains. It is ruled by the once peaceful king Hawkmoth. However, Akumas have now recently begun to posses the people of the land- including the king. Hope for victory now rests upon those who dare to fight."

It was silent in the room until Nino whistled.

"That was intense, dude." Adrien wrote on some paper and handed it to Marinette.

"He says that it's supposed to be, and that we all need to roll the eight-sided die." She said, picking up the said die. She rolled. "Seven."

"Five." Alya said after she rolled.

"Eight." Nino smiled and handed the dice to Chloe.

"Three." Adrien wrote something down and handed it to Marinette.

"Okay, so when we get into fights there's a specific way to do it- those numbers just told us when we fight in battle. Now we need to roll it again." Marinette picked up the die from the board and rolled it. "Seven again."

"Two." Alya scowled and passed it on.

"Five."

"Six." Chloe reported. She handed the die to Adrien, who rolled it. Then he wrote something down and typed something down on his phone before pressing a button.

"It is midnight- not a sound can be heard in the forest while Carapace and Rena Rouge slept. Queen Bee was trying to fall asleep, but was currently failing. Ladybug and Chat Noir are half awake and trying to keep watch over the campsite. The full moon rests upon them and lights up most of the surrounding land, but the trees still have it shaded just enough that it's hard to see what rests in the shadows. An owl hoots in the distance while the fire crackles."

It was silent throughout the room.

"So… what now?" Nino asked. Adrien laughed for a bit, and raised a hand to his mouth in shock when he actually heard it. Marinette stared at him with wide eyes as a smile grew on her face.

He had laughed!

She had the craving to hear more of it, but Adrien moved to write something down and handed it to her.

 _This is when you guys kinda take over. Chloe's trying to sleep, Alya and Nino are asleep, and Marinette and I are keeping watch._ Marinette read the note out loud. She reread it and then blinked at him. "Uhh… I guess I'd want to make some small talk." She cleared her throat. "It's, uh, a bit cold tonight." Adrien wrote something down and handed it to her.

 _It is. Do you need a jacket, milady?_

"Milady?" She asked. Adrien grinned sheepishly and shrugged. "You did not just give me a nickname like that."

 _And if I did, bugaboo?_ He asked. Marinette groaned.

"I'm never gonna be hearing the end of these puns, am I?" In response, Adrien literally grabbed his jacket for tomorrow and placed it over her shoulders. They missed the confused looks and shrugs that Nino, Chloe, and Alya sent each other. Marinette blushed as she stared into his striking emerald green eyes, shining with a mix of mirth and something else.

Before she could decide what that something else was, he looked away- down at his notepad and pencil.

 _Come on, any lady should be as snug as a bug in a rug with this._ He wrote, and the extremely sweet gesture was ruined by the pun.

"Stupid cat." She mumbled, but she couldn't help but smile at the way his face was still lit up in pride.

"Uhhh, guys, we're missing out on half of the conversation here!" Alya exclaimed while Chloe scoffed. Adrien and Marinette blushed, but then Marinette giggled and Adrien chuckled. The sound coming from him filled her with delight, and a miraculous sense of accomplishment.

If there was one thing Marinette was sure about, it was that she loved his laugh.


	6. Chapter 6

Shandy: HoLY CRAP SO MANY REVIEWS!

Candy: Wait- really?

Shandy: *nods*

Candy: Well, we better get started then.

 **Fifi (Guest): This is a new Miraculous AU, so while they don't have superhero personas, they are mentioned as their characters in the D &D game. Yes, Adrien is Chat Noir. I'm glad that you like it so far!**

 **Em (Guest): Yes, cute little cinnamon roll of sunshine, Adrien Agreste. :3 I'm glad you like it!**

 **mayuralover: I'm glad you like it!**

 **Guest: Thank you for the compliment!**

 **BDemon1995: Thank you!**

 **Ugly-Duckling123: Did she? Oops.**

 **Grapefruit101: I'm glad you like it, and it's not going to be stopping any time soon.**

Shandy: I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

328652365823085723807502387508273578273085

Once they reached a good stopping point, Adrien was absolutely ecstatic that they all loved it so much, and had promised to meet up with him soon to continue it some other time. They put on a Disney movie (Mulan) and watched until they couldn't keep their eyes open any longer- Chloe's butler coming in to turn off the lights and TV.

However, falling asleep wasn't always a good thing.

7843567897763456788973456789965445678998654345678

 _The glass shattering brought him out of his brooding from being grounded. Adrien leapt off of his bed, only to stare at the man in all black that was silhouetted by moonlight. Adrien didn't waste a second to rush over to his bedroom door, but the man grabbed him before he could run away._

" _NO!" He screamed, fighting against the man as the black figure tried to drag him to the window. He managed to kick the man where it hurts, and then scramble away from him. Fortunately, that also happened to be in the direction of his door. He threw it open and rushed down the hall- leaping down the stairs as he heard the man's footsteps pounding behind him._

 _Adrien made as much noise as he could along the way- knocking down paintings, smashing vases, overturning chairs. He even threw one of the glass figurines at the intruder's head._

' _ **-wake up!'**_

" _You little brat." The man seethed as Adrien sprinted into the kitchen- the only place he could go that looked safe. "I only had to kidnap you, but they never said that you were to be unharmed…"_

 _Adrien grabbed a pot and threw it at the man, but the elder dodged it while pulling out a knife. He pinned Adrien to the floor, and the twelve-year-old brought down all sort of glass decorations and plates with him- landing partially on the shards. The man made three long slashes down Adrien's chest, cutting through the fabric and leaving trails of blood. Adrien screamed in pain, and the man smiled a crazed and insane smile. Faintly, Adrien heard a ruckus from upstairs, and someone called for him again. His body shook in fear and confusion._

' _ **Adrien! Adrien, wake up, you're having a nightmare!'**_

 _Before he could think about the voice, the man pressed his knife into the area right above Adrien's heart, a wicked smirk gracing his lips. All Adrien could do was stare up at him and uselessly fight against the man's superior strength._

 _His body shook even more and he let out a scream. The man pressed the knife down harder, already tearing through the fabric and just beginning to cut into his skin. Adrien screamed and fought harder against the man, even though all seemed hopeless._

" _Let go of my son!" A frying pan came out from nowhere and knocked the man in the head. The intruder rolled off of him, allowing Adrien to scramble up and rush over to his mother._

" _Mom!"_

" _Don't worry, honey bun." His mother comforted semi-frantically, the frying pan falling out of her hands while she pulled the twelve year old into a hug. "Mother's here. You're safe." Before either could speak, his mother suddenly shoved him out of the way. He turned around to look, and he watched in utter terror as the man's raised arm slammed the knife down-_

' _ **Adrien!'**_

Adrien gasped, his chest heaving for air as he sat up straight. Someone wrapped their arms around him, whispering sweet nothings into his ear and rubbing soothing circles on his back.

"It's okay, Adrien." The voice was familiar, but in his frantic fear-induced state he couldn't tell whose it was. All he could do was wrap his arms tightly around whoever it was and hold them close. "It was just a dream. You're okay. It's okay. You're safe, Adrien. It was just a bad dream."

Adrien's breathing and frantic heart rate eventually slowed. He listened to the other's heart beat- the steady thump-thump thump-thump that assured him that whoever was with him was alive. The sweet nothings continued, and one of the hands drawing circles on his back found their way to his hair. He eventually relaxed into their hold, closing his eyes.

 _Cookies._ The person smelled like cookies- fresh baked cookies and other sweet things like vanilla and lavender. A smile twitched his lips, and in his half-sleepy state he pulled them closer. He liked the smell.

When it felt like they were gonna leave he panicked, tightening his hold and burrowing his nose into the crook of their neck.

' _Stay.'_ He pleaded in his thoughts. ' _Please, stay. You chased them away. Don't leave me. Please.'_

Much to his relief, the person only moved them around until they were laying down on his bed. His chin was resting above their head, so he leant down to nuzzle their hair. The person continued to soothe him and run their hands through his hair. A feeling began to warmly spread out from his heart, making him even more tired than he was.

This was a feeling that he hadn't felt in a long time- one that soothingly filled his entire being. It felt like being wrapped in a warm, fuzzy blanket while a storm raged outside.

He felt like he was home.

He sleepily peeked an eye open, unable to keep it that way for long. However, he did manage to see a head full of black hair shining in the light of the moon before falling into the land of dreams.

70865864678886546578908786564364797097654468654

Marinette sighed, completely happy in her sleepy state as she snuggled closer to her pillow. She was warm and happy and everything felt really peaceful…

She heard a sigh, and unfortunately she woke up a bit more. That didn't come from her…

Something pulled her closer to her pillow; and while she didn't fight it, she did open her eyes. She was looking down slightly, and as her vision cleared she saw that her hands were fisted in a familiar green nightshirt. She looked up and smiled when she saw Adrien's peaceful sleeping face, remembering what had happened last night.

She was normally a very heavy sleeper, but she had woken up to go an use the restroom in the middle of the night. When she had come back out, Adrien had been trapped in his blankets, and a nightmare.

Marinette had been unsure of what she had to do at first- he had been thrashing so much it had been almost impossible to try and wake him up. She had managed to get through though, and she didn't stop shaking him until he had woken up.

Marinette's happy look transformed to one of concern as she remembered that he had been so frantic in seeking comfort. She had had a few nightmares herself, and whenever anyone else had woken up from one while she was around they just… woke up. There was no desperate clinging like they were gonna die if they let her go, but Adrien…

That must've been some dream.

He looked peaceful now. He was smiling a bit in his sleep, completely relaxed with his arms wrapped around her. His bed head had his hair dangling in front of his face, and sticking up wildly in some places. The rise and fall of his chest was constant, slow, and soothing. Marinette leaned slightly against his chest and heard his heart beating calmly.

Her stomach growled, and it was only then that she realized that no one else was in the room. Marinette bit her lip, unsure. She didn't want to leave him alone- not after that nightmare, but she also didn't want to wake him up. He looked so peaceful and relaxed, not having a single care in the world…

She watched as he shifted a bit, pulling her closer to him and nuzzling her head. It was only then, with her mind now more awake than it had been, that she heard the purr that was coming through his chest.

' _Oh my gosh.'_ She thought, internally squealing. ' _He's purring!'_ No wonder he had chosen Chat Noir to be his character in the game- he could actually purr like a cat. And the nicknames that that brought would be good payback for all of the nicknames that he had given her.

Her stomach growled again, and she sighed. He was probably hungry too- and he was doing all of this unconsciously. What if he didn't want to be doing this to her?

"Adrien." She whispered, shaking his shoulders. He groaned and held onto her tighter, and she tried again. "Adrien, wake up." He pulled her closer, nuzzling her head. The position was ten times more comfortable than the last, and Marinette didn't want to move. However, she shifted a bit so that she could run a hand through his hair.

Her mother would do that to wake her up when she wasn't late sometimes, and it worked. For her, anyway, she didn't know if it would help Adrien.

Adrien leaned into her touch and his purr grew a little louder, the smile on his face growing a bit. Marinette smiled at the cute look and continued. After a few moments, she spoke softly.

"Adrien, wake up." She carefully watched his face, and was pleased to watch as his emerald eyes sleepily opened. They blinked, his eyes eventually focusing on her, and she smiled. "Good morning, Adrien." His eyes widened and they continued to stare at her- clearly he hadn't known that he was cuddling with her. She wanted him to know that she was okay with it, so she gave him a worried look. "Are you okay? You must've had some nightmare."

One of his hands let go of her as he felt around for his notebook (the fact that his other never left it's hold made her blush). When he couldn't find it, he reached for his phone and typed something up before showing it to her.

 _I'm fine, but thanks for asking. I'm sorry- I probably made you uncomfortable, didn't I?_

"O-Oh, it's okay." She stuttered, her blush increasing. She tried to push it down and smiled sincerely at him. "Anything for a friend. Besides… I liked it." The uneasy look on his face relaxed into a goofy grin, and Marinette's heart skipped a beat. The feeling of her heart made her feel slightly uncomfortable, so she pushed on. "I-I didn't know that you could purr."

Instantly his face became mortified, a blush gracing his cheeks and spreading to his neck. He pointed a finger at him, and Marinette giggled.

"I don't think the others heard it through. Come on, they're probably downstairs eating breakfast." Adrien didn't stop her from getting up, though she missed the warmth of his embrace. Marinette began to pull her hair into pigtails, and she amusedly watched Adrien attempt to manage his bedhead.

"You don't have to do that, you know." She spoke before she could stop herself. She blushed when he looked at her, and she had no choice but to continue her thought. "I- Your hair's fine the way it is." He smiled at her, but they both looked away at the same time to hide their blush. Not that Marinette knew he was doing it too, though. "Come on- I don't know about you but I'm starving."

Adrien nodded and they walked out of Chloe's bedroom together. There was a small air of awkwardness around them as they walked over to the elevator, and Marinette didn't know how to throw that awkwardness away. She hated awkward silences.

"Do… did you want to talk about it?" Marinette's weak question made her wince, but Adrien smiled at her anyway. He pulled out his phone while the elevator began to descend.

 _No, I can't remember it all that much._ Was what he wrote. Marinette's sixth sense shot up a red flag- he was lying. She could see it in the way that he couldn't meet her gaze, and with how he was suddenly interested in the silver ring on his finger.

Marinette sighed. If he didn't want to talk about it, that was okay with her. She wouldn't push.

"That's okay." She said, playing along with his lie. "I'm just glad that I was able to help." She smiled up at him and he smiled back down at her. The elevator dinged and they walked out, going over to where they could see their friends having breakfast.

"Good morning sleepy heads!" Alya called out, waving them over. She winked at the two of them. "I hope you guys had a good night's sleep last night."

Marinette's face lit up a heavy shade of pink, while Adrien's face turned red. Marinette knew that it was useless to say anything about it, but Adrien moved to type on his phone. He handed it to Alya.

"Well yeah, but you two were very close." Alya smirked and wiggled her eyebrows. "Didn't leave room for anything at all."

"It's okay, Adrien." Marinette sighed when it looked like he was gonna try again despite his embarrassment. "She's not gonna change her mind no matter what you tell her. Let's just go and eat." Adrien looked a bit reluctant, but he nodded and followed her to the food. Alya and Nino sent knowing looks to each other while Chloe kept a smirk off of her face.

When they came back with breakfast, they sat down across from each other.

"So, I don't know about you guys, but I _really_ want to continue that D&D game." Nino admitted, reaching for his orange juice to drink from it.

"I couldn't agree more, but maybe we shouldn't do it here." Alya admitted. "No offence Chloe, but I don't think anyone wants to listen to us playing. We were a bit loud last night, and there are some people here giving us the stink eye."

"Well then where else could we go?" Chloe asked. "Wherever we go, it has to be approved by Adrien's father, and he's very strict." No one answered, just shifting awkwardly and playing a bit with their food.

"He wouldn't oppose if it was in his own house, would he?" Alya asked hesitantly.

"Depends on his mood." Chloe admitted, looking over at Adrien. "What do you think?" Adrien reached for his phone and typed something before handing it to Chloe. She read it and nodded. "Worth a shot, then. Let's pack up and go over there. You better text Nathalie." Adrien nodded and took his phone back to do so.

Marinette was internally freaking out. She was gonna meet her idol! In person! What if her legendary clumsiness caused harm to him? What if he didn't like her and ended her dream for fashion design? _What if he said that they couldn't hang out with Adrien ever again?_

She didn't voice any of her concerns though, hiding them under a mask.

' _This is fine.'_ She thought to herself as she finished eating. ' _No need to worry, everything is going to be okay- what am I talking about I'M SO SCREWED.'_


	7. Chapter 7

Shandy: Reviews!

 **Fifi (Guest): Who knows, you might be wrong...**

 **GGMJ: Thank you!**

 **SleepinBeautyK: Thanks!**

 **coolcari: I'm glad you liked it!**

 **SagesMind: Oof XD Whelp, here's more for ya!**

Candy: Enjoy the story!

792365792367956236597236597269756972365977236

To say Adrien was nervous when he arrived at his house with his friends was an understatement. Nonetheless, he had to act as though there wasn't any possibility of his friends being kicked out. That way their nervousness wouldn't be affected by his own.

He wasn't sure how good he was at hiding it, though.

He hopped out when the limo stopped at his house, staring up at it for only a second before turning around. He gave his friends a supportive smile, which they quickly returned. He was the first one to walk up the steps, and before anyone could touch the door it was opened by Nathalie.

"Welcome home, Adrien." She greeted in her normal matter. She looked at his friends before looking back at him. "I see you've brought your friends. I've already told your father of your request, and he wishes to meet your friends personally." She held the door open wide and Adrien's smile grew a bit more real and not forced. If his father was willing to meet with them personally, that meant that there was a chance that they'd still be able to hang out. He enthusiastically waved them all in and lead them to the living room. Once there he placed his stuff down and watched them. Everyone but Chloe was looking around in awe and curiosity.

"Dude, your house looks amazing!" Nino exclaimed, looking at Adrien.

"I love the patterns." Marinette admitted, observing the tile floor. She reached into her bag and pulled out her design book (Adrien had had the honor of seeing her designs once- they were some of the best he'd seen). She grabbed a pencil too and began sketching away, eventually sitting down on the floor. Alya rolled her eyes, mumbling something about 'typical Mari'. Chloe made herself home on the couch, rolling her eyes at her friends.

Adrien walked over to Marinette to see what design she was drawing. Skirt? Suit? Dress? Shirt? Pants? Purse? A whole outfit? She had drawn many things- including clothes for pets, so the possibilities were endless.

It was a scarf, hat, and gloves set from the looks of the rough outline that Marinette was drawing. He watched, eventually crouching down beside her as she drew. When she didn't even look his way at the movement, he knew that she was officially in her own world. The place where the only things she was interested in was the vision in her head and keeping her pencil sharp.

He loved seeing people when they were in their own world. If Adrien was good at drawing, then he probably would have drawn them whenever he could. There was just something so… awe-inspiring when people were like that. Daydreaming worked, but it was different from when they were so focused on what they were doing that almost nothing could pull them out of it.

Nino only really looked that way when he was working on his tunes. Alya looked like that when she was on the brink of discovery, and Chloe looked like that when she was intent on solving one of her puzzles. His father looked like that when he was designing too, like Marinette was. Nathalie looked like that when she was organizing, his bodyguard was like that when he was reading, and his mother…

She had looked like that whenever she had played music. It didn't matter if she was singing or not- if she was playing the piano, her violin, harp, or just listening. She'd always be so… enthralled with the sound, like it held the key to life itself.

His heart squeezed at the memory, so he focused back on what Marinette was drawing.

Idly, he wondered if he ever looked like that. What would he be doing when he looked like that? Did he have anything that make him look like that? He wasn't sure- he couldn't remember any times that he could've been like that.

Footsteps drawing near snapped Adrien out of his thoughts, and he stood up and turned around to look at the entrance. His father walked in a second after, and after everyone but Marinette turned to look at him, he cleared his throat. Adrien nudged her, and she looked up at him curiously.

"I'm sure that there are more comfortable places to sit than on the floor." Gabriel said, and Marinette instantly jumped to her feet. Her face was red from embarrassment.

"S-Sorry, M. Agreste. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my thoughts that I don't notice my surroundings." She said nervously, bowing a bit. Gabriel hummed, looking over all of them before looking back at her. "What's your name?"

"Marinette, Monsieur." She answered. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng." He nodded and looked at Alya.

"Alya Cesaire."

"Nino Lahiffe, Monsieur." Gabriel nodded and finally addressed Chloe.

"You are friends with them too?" He asked.

"I only surround myself with the best." She replied promptly. "I made sure Adrien was too." Gabriel looked over all of him with his emotionless gaze until his eyes settled on Marinette.

Adrien's eyes widened.

' _Don't tell me-'_

"Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, may I have a word with you for a moment?" He asked.

' _No, father! You literally could have asked to talk to anyone else- why choose Marinette?! Was it because she was on the floor? I'll testify for her, just back out now, play it off as a joke, and choose someone else-'_

"O-Of course, Monsieur." She smiled nervously and walked forward, following him out of the room. Adrien swore the world froze at that moment, and the only reason why was because he had never really grasped the idea of what he would do if his father decided that Marinette was a bad influence.

Of course, this train of thought applied to his other friends as well, but for some reason the idea of not being allowed to hang out with Marinette made him want to cry. He took a deep breath and turned to busy himself with something else.

But why? Why did just the thought of losing Marinette make him want to cry? Was it because she was his friend? Maybe it was because her presence was just so warm and inviting. Maybe it was because she didn't mind his scars- or maybe the fact that she had comforted him through his nightmare. Perhaps it was the fact that she knew his mother's fist bump.

But somehow, all of those reasons fell flat. They all rang with truth, of course. He felt like he was missing something- one important word that would make this strange feeling that he had click into place.

His eyes landed on a photo of his father and mother on their wedding day, and his heart stopped.

 _Oh._

238508237085720758820378057208375802803758072380752387508237

Marinette did her best to remain calm and breathe while she followed her fashion Idol out of the living room. He directed her across the front area and to the dining room, pulling out a chair.

"Please, sit." He directed, and Marinette did so. He sat down across from her, clasping his hands together and resting his forearms on the table. "Mlle. Dupain-Cheng-"

"You can call me Marinette." At his silence she realized that she had actually spoken. She flushed in embarrassment. "I-I just think that it would be a bit easier while still being formal- as long as you want to, anyway." She twiddled her thumbs under the table, internally screaming at herself.

Why did she have to be like that?

"Marinette." Gabriel continued after a moment. "Could you please tell me what you were doing before I walked into the room?" Marinette bit her lip, her hands tightening on her design notebook.

"I-I was drawing, M. Agreste." She explained. "The tile pattern inspired me."

"What were you drawing?"

"Gloves, a hat, and a scarf, Monsieur."

"Can I see?" Marinette nodded and flipped over to the page she had been drawing on. Then she hesitantly placed it in his outstretched hand. Her heart raced at the same speed as her thought process, which even she couldn't keep track of at this point. He flipped through a few pages, face unreadable.

"Impressive for one of your age." He admitted, handing the book back to her. Marinette almost breathed a sigh of relief, but the look in his eyes told her that his opinion on her work was the least of her worries. "Do you plan to use your talents?"

"Yes." Marinette nodded. "Right now I'm working at my parents bakery, but over the summer I do some commissions." He hummed a bit, leaning forward a little.

"Tell me, Marinette, what do you think about my son?" She opened her mouth to answer, but stopped when she saw the look in his eyes. It was the same look that her Papa often had when he was concerned for her.

While she could tell him a generic answer, it was clear that he wanted the truth- the barest truth that she could give. She took a deep breath, sitting up a little straighter and looking him in the eye. She had to say this with the straightest, most serious face she could.

"M. Agreste… your son is a complete dork."

The way he sat up with wide eyes told her that she had succeeded in catching him a bit off guard.

"But he's also one of the kindest and sweetest guys I've met." She continued before he could speak. A fond smile spread across her face, although she didn't know it. "He doesn't let who he is and how much money he has get to his head. He's supportive- always trying to be there for us when we need it. I'm in debt to him for that. He's one of the closest friends that I've ever had. I have to admit, I worry a lot about him a lot. No one just chooses to be mute. I'd ask, but I don't want to push him away or make him uncomfortable. He's… really important to me."

Her hand raised up to her chest, resting right on top of her heart, and she closed her eyes. Then she looked him in the eye, determination coursing through her body. "So I'll do whatever I can to help him with whatever it is, and I'll stick by him as long as he wants me by his side." After a few moments of silence, Marinette blushed and looked down. "S-Sorry, you only asked about what I thought of him and-"

"And I believe that that is all that I needed to hear." Marinette shut her mouth and looked at him as he stood up. When he moved to leave the room, Marinette hastily followed- almost tripping on the chair. He stopped when they approached the closed door to the living room, and she looked up at him.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng." He said, holding out his hand. Marinette looked down at it before shaking it and looking up at him with a shy smile.

"The pleasure was mine, M. Agreste." She said as the handshake finished.

"Tell me, did you ever plan on applying for an internship?"

"At your company?" She clarified, and he nodded. "Y-Yes, I have." For a moment, Marinette could've sworn that he had a smile on his face.

"I look forward to receiving it." Then he turned around and walked up the stairs, leaving her behind to catch up with what had just happened. In a robotic-type way, she opened up and walked in with a blank look.

Adrien was the first to rush up to her, a worried, nervous, and curious look on his face. Alya rushed up next, speaking the question that Adrien clearly wanted to ask himself.

"What did he say?"

"He…" Marinette swallowed, the gravity of what had just happened finally settling in her mind. "I-I think he said that… that I could have an internship at his company."

Alya's jaw dropped, and the look on Adrien's face instantly switched to one of pure delight as he hugged her tightly. His smile was contagious, as it grew on her face while she hugged him back. They both started laughing, and Adrien suddenly picked her up and spun her around. Marinette shrieked, holding onto him for dear life.

"Adrien!" She exclaimed. "P-Put me down!" He did so after a moment, her hands wrapped loosely around his neck and his arms wrapped around her waist. She stared into his emerald green eyes and almost got lost in their depths. The look on his face was clearly portraying the only thing in his thoughts at the moment.

 _You did it! I'm so proud of you._

' _I did do it.'_ Marinette thought as Adrien seemed to lean down a bit. She leaned in a bit closer herself, unable to look away from his eyes that seemed to stare into her very soul. Her heart did gymnastics in her chest- it was a welcomed feeling though, strangely enough. Hope and wonder grew there, feeding thoughts into her head. ' _I-I can't believe that that actually happened… Adrien, if your father approves of me… does that mean that-'_

"Dude, we want to congratulate her too!" Nino's shout and yelp of pain from Alya elbowing him snapped Adrien and Marinette out of their moment. They both blushed and took two steps away from each other, unable to meet the other's eyes. Alya walked over and gave her a bone crushing hug, saying something about how 'she always knew that it was gonna happen', 'you totally deserve it', and 'I'm so proud of you'. Marinette's eyes landed on Adrien while he was rubbing the back of his neck in the embarrassed way he always did, and she completed her thought.

' _That I actually have a chance with you?'_

807580378072087375802750873805708273857238758072308758237580732087508

In his office, Gabriel Agreste accessed the security feed for that room and sped it up to a few seconds before he had come in.

He watched with interest at the way his son's face changed to shock when he chose to speak to Marinette. Then confusion and nervousness, right up until the point of realization when his son looked at his and Emilie's wedding pictures.

Although he didn't know what was going on through his son's head, he could now tell that Marinette was the closest to Adrien out of all of his friends. He watched as his son began to pace, arms behind his back and fingers crossed. The tension had clearly spiked in the room after they had left.

He tapped the screen to speed the tape forward, and slowed it down when the door began to open again. He watched as Marinette entered the room, completely shocked and speechless- A reaction that he had guessed she would have to his words. His curiosity about the relationship between Adrien and Marinette rose greatly when he saw his son's worried reaction when she came in. He was almost pleasantly surprised to see Adrien pull her in for a hug after she gave them the news, but then he froze.

He didn't pay attention to the rest of the security feed, and later on he would replay it and lose his concentration again and again for the same exact reason.

A single tear fell down his cheek, a soft smile dancing upon his lips as only a single sound echoed through his office.

The only thing he had wanted to hear, but never could since that day all those years ago. The one thing that he had been starting to lose hope on ever hearing again.

 _The laugh of his only son._


	8. Chapter 8

Shandy: Hello-

Me: No we don't have time for that today.

REVIEWS!

 **ShadedRose82: Ooot I'm glad you love it so much!**

 **Fifi (Guest): Ooooo really? I haven't seen it yet, I'm actually waiting for it to come out on Netflix. I'm glad you liked the chapter tho!**

 **Rose Tiger: I do too. :3**

 **theflyingfish3: I'm glad you love it so much!**

 **MiraculousKitty: I'm glad it did!**

ENJOY!

29765376562735697236597263975627365972365972639756723

Adrien was sad when his friends had to eventually return to their home for dinner, but he knew that he would be seeing them in two days at school either way. He waved goodbye to all of them as they hopped into Chloe's limo to be driven home.

If there was an upside in this situation, it would be that he had the time to ponder over the revelation that he had earlier that day. He closed the door behind him, planning to go to his room and consult Plagg (who only liked Marinette out of all of his friends so far), only to stop. Standing between him and his room was his father, who had his hands behind his back. Adrien looked up at him as his father observed him before coming the rest of the way down the stairs. He stood right in front of Adrien- emerald green staring into steely grey/blue.

And then his father did the last thing that Adrien had expected.

 _He hugged him._

Adrien froze for a second before returning the embrace, burrowing his face into his father's shoulder. Gabriel began to laugh, and Adrien was taken aback. His father's laugh sounded crazed and disbelieving- was this it? Had his father finally snapped?

But when Gabriel pulled out of the hug, his arms planted firmly on Adrien's shoulders, he knew that wasn't the case.

"Adrien…" Gabriel said, clearly elated. This was probably the most emotion he had seen out of his father in years, and Adrien was curious. What had happened to cause this? Gabriel smiled down at him and ruffled his hair. "You-You _laughed_. I was so worried, and then…" He shook his head and pulled Adrien in for another hug. Adrien reacted instinctively this time, eyes blown wide because he had no idea that his father had felt like that.

This time the hug lasted for much longer, and tears entered Adrien's eyes. He had had absolutely no idea how his silence had affected his father- much less that this was how he would react.

Had-Had he really put his father through all of that?

Almost as though Gabriel could read his mind, he spoke.

"We both grieved in our own way, Adrien. I'm just glad that you're finally recovering from it." Gabriel slowly pulled out of the hug, and Adrien didn't bother to wipe the tears from his eyes when he saw the ones in his father's. Adrien could tell that the bonding moment was done, as his father's smile wasn't as wide as it had been. Gabriel patted Adrien's shoulder. "I'm proud of you, son. If she was still here, I'm sure your mother would be proud too. Keep laughing."

Adrien couldn't find it in himself to move as his father walked back up the stairs. Once Gabriel reached the top, he stopped and turned to partially look at Adrien. "And that one girl… Marinette, I believe. Yes, Marinette- do your best to keep her. She'll do you good." And then the fashion designer vanished into his office.

Adrien didn't remember much of the trip up his steps and to his room, closing the door behind him. He leaned down to pet Plagg when the black cat tried to glue itself to Adrien's leg. Adrien then blankly walked over to his bed and face-planted onto it. Plagg hopped onto the bed and decided to lay partially on the blonde's head. Adrien didn't mind, too caught up in his thoughts.

Had… had his father just _approved_ of Marinette?

Well, clearly he had approved of her being his friend at least (he didn't give out internships to just anyone), but that had sounded like he had approved of them being… closer.

Adrien groaned and grabbed one of his pillows, placing it into his face. Plagg meowed unhappily before rearranging himself on the blonde.

Of course, with _that_ revelation, he could just be misinterpreting his father's words…

Which brought him back to his first dilema- the discovery that Marinette was more than just a friend to him.

And in the anime he watched, people who were more than just a friend to each other got together and went out on cute dates. But did Marinette feel the same?

Sometimes he wished he had never been homeschooled.

But then the argument that lead to _that_ night surfaced and he shook his head, sitting up. Plagg yowled as he fell off and hissed at Adrien angrily. Adrien smiled at his cat and placed his hands together. Then he bowed slightly, an action that Plagg took as an apology. Plagg stared at him for a few moments before rubbing himself against Adrien's cheek. Adrien chuckled at the action, smile growing wide.

He could think of his dilemma later- for the moment, he could enjoy being right where he was meant to be.

He only hoped that it didn't change soon.

873570350707820870385287035287087035287032587053870352870

Marinette hummed happily as she worked away in the bakery. If you had asked her what tune she was singing, she would shrug and continue on.

It was a normal Saturday for her, working in the kitchen from the morning till just after lunch, and then having the afternoon free to do as she pleased. She brushed her flour-caked hands on her red apron with little ladybugs, putting on some oven mitts before putting the bread in the oven and taking out the loaf that had just finished. She loved the fresh sell that it had, taking a long whiff before setting it down to cool.

She turned back to the dough that she had been making for the croissants- her father was not here at the moment, having to speed-deliver a birthday cake across town.

"Marinette!" Her mother called from the front. "Can you come out here for a moment?"

"Of course maman, just give me a second!" She called back. She kneaded the dough a few more times and then placed it back on the board she had been using. She brushed the extra flower off on her apron as she walked out. "What did you need, maman?"

"Your friend here was asking for you, honey." Her mother replied, gesturing to Adrien. The mute blonde waved at her shyly, reaching for his phone. He typed something on it before handing it to her.

 _Father said that I could hang out with my friends today, but Chloe's at an important function with her dad and Alya and Nino went on a date._

"Oh!" She looked up at him with a smile and handed his phone back. "I'm actually almost done helping my parents for the day, you'd just have to wait for about.." Marinette looked across the room and at the clock. "... forty-five minutes…" Adrien smiled at her and typed something on his phone. He handed it to her.

 _Is there anyway that I could help?_

"I don't know…" Marinette admitted. She showed her mother Adrien's message. "Can he?"

"I don't see why not." Sabine smiled. "I have things handled on this end- why don't you two go in the back and continue with the bread?" Marinette smiled and nodded, handing Adrien back his phone.

"Come on- we should get you ready first." She explained, pulling out an apron. She placed the pron around him first, leaving him to tie the bow himself while she got a baker's hat. She placed it on his head, and she couldn't help but giggle at how adorable he looked. The confusion on his face was apparent as he tried to look up at the hat on his head.

"It's easier for me to have my hair tied back. Come on, I was just about to get started on the next batch of croissants." Adrien's face lit up and he happily followed behind her over to where she had left the dough. She kneaded it a few times before rolling it out with a rolling pin. She seperated some dough and handed some to him.

"Here- use this to make a triangle." When he looked a little lost, she gave him an example to go off of by starting on her own. He quickly caught on to what he was supposed to do, and soon they both had a triangle ready. "Now, take the shortest side ad start rolling it up." Again, she served as an example while Adrien followed. "Once you do that, we can pull the two ends together- no, towards where the last part of the dough you rolled up ended." She corrected him gently. Adrien blushed at his mistake and fixed it, and Marinette nodded in approval.

"Perfect! Now we place them on the tray…" She placed hers down, and Adrien followed. Their hands brushed for a moment, and Marinette tried to ignore the tingling sensation that she fet bubbling inside of her chest. "And repeat the process all over again!" She pulled out another section of the dough and handed it to him before grabbing her own. At one point she had to go and take the bread out of the oven. She absent-mindedly placed the loaf down in the cooling area and checked the other loaf. Cooled, but still warm. Perfect.

"Hey, Adrien, can you hand me the bread knife please?" She asked absently, grabbing some tools to help her get the bread out of the mold. When she didn't hear any footsteps or shuffling behind her, she grew concerned. Maybe it wasn't over there… but she could've sworn that she left it there. Her mind suddenly went through a whirl storm of horrible scenarios, and her heart jumped up her throat.

 _Was Adrien alright?_

"Adrien?" She asked, turning around to look at the blonde. He had his hand outstretched, like he was about to grab the knife, but he had stopped. It almost looked like he was a statue. His eyes were wide, seeing something other than what was around him as he bit his lip. She took a closer look at his eyes and- wait, was that fear? But why would-

Oh.

...

 _Oh._

Having grown up in a bakery, Marinette had seen a few scars from getting cut by a knife. The ones that she had seen on Adrien looked similar, but now she felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner.

She carefully walked over to him, making sure that she wouldn't startle him on accident. Marinette wrapped her right arm around him in a hug, while her left gently and slowly pulled his hand away from it's outstretched position, towards them. Adrien tensed at the contact.

"It's okay." She told him soothingly. "I-I probably should've known, growing up in a bakery." He looked down at her, clearly disappointed in himself- perhaps even ashamed. He looked away, and soon Marinette was standing in front of him instead of beside him. "Hey, look at me. Adrien… please?" When his emerald green eyes reluctantly looked into her blue-bell ones, she smiled.

"It's perfectly okay to have a fear like that- it's nothing to be ashamed about. I should know, I have one of the most ridiculous fears in the world." Marinette laughed a bit, nearly jumping for joy when she saw that she had his interest- and that he was opening up a bit more. "You probably want to know now, don't you?" She asked hesitantly, and he nodded. Marinette blushed- she hadn't had the need to admit this to anyone in years.

"I-I'm afraid of spiders." Adrien stared at her for a moment in complete shock, and she blushed a bit more. "I-I know, it's silly- how can I be afraid of a bug that is literally a hundred times smaller than me-" He shook his head, interrupting her and pressing a finger to her lips. Marinette blushed at the contact, looking up at him as he fished around for his phone. Once he had it, he pulled it out and began to type.

 _It's not silly, princess._

Marinette blinked- sure, she had gotten used to the nicknames from their D&D game, but where had _that_ come from?

"Princess?" She asked. Adrien blushed and typed on his phone again.

 _Well, you have all of the qualities of one. Kind, caring, passionate, just, strong, beautiful…_ Marinette doubted that her face had ever reached this shade of red before.

"O-Oh." She cleared her throat when she noticed that her voice was higher than normal. "I-I didn't know that you thought of me like that…"

 _I've wanted to tell you for a while now._ He admitted. _You mean a lot to me, Marinette. More than the others._

Marinette's heart raced in her chest as she looked up at him. The smile on his face was soft, sincere, and (if she dared to hope that it was real) love.

"Y-You mean a lot to me too!" She managed to get out. Adrien reached for her hand, the other typing his response. He was just about to hand it to her to read, but then they both froze.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Adrien Agreste."


	9. Chapter 9

_**Hey, sorry for not updating.**_

 _ **Like... at all.**_

 _ **I, unfortunately, have been busy lately. I'm surrounded by homework, my job, life in general- but that doesn't mean I don't have time to write. Sadly, having time to write means no time to update, much less being able to respond to all of your amazing and inspiring reviews.**_

 _ **I figured that you guys would rather me upload a completed story all at once rather than have months to wait for the next chapter.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!**_

293659723656273659723659723659726379569723569263

Looking for him? Clearly the person wasn't a fan- they were here for business. He could tell by the tone of her voice- that tone had been drilled into him from a young age.

"I'm sorry." Sabine said sweetly. "But even if Adrien were here, I wouldn't tell you. You are not his father, Nathalie, or bodyguard."

"I know that he's here, we have something important to discuss." The posh female said. Adrien frowned- he didn't recognize that voice. He looked back at Marinette, the girl he had almost asked out to ice cream. It was clear to him that Marinette could sense that something was definitely wrong, and she grabbed his hand.

"Even if he were here, I wouldn't let you." Sabine said, her voice fading away as Marinette led Adrien up the stairs. She discarded her apron, so Adrien did the same with his apron and bakers hat. She lead him up the stairs and into her bedroom.

He didn't have any time to get a good look at it for his first time in there, seeing as Marinette hurried them over to her balcony. She closed the trap door behind him and gave him a 'stay low' gesture. Then she walked over to the balcony and looked down at the street below. She took out her phone and took a picture of something before going over to him.

"Adrien Agreste, you have to promise that you won't tell anyone about the series of events that are about to follow." She whispered. "Especially my parents- if they knew that I did this almost every night they would ground me until I died." Adrien froze, eyes wide.

 _What._

"Well?" Realizing that she was waiting for his answer, he quickly nodded while forming an x over his heart with his finger. "Good. Come on- and watch your step." She stood up from her crouched position but still remained low, moving her lounge chair off to the side to reveal an extendable ladder. She extended it and set it up against the wall, waving for him to go up. He moved quickly, climbing up the ladder and then landing on the roof behind it. Marinette climbed up after him, pulling up the ladder behind her. She folded it back up and placed it in a well hidden spot before grabbing his hand.

She lead him across the rooftops, warning him of any slippery areas or places where it was easy to lose your footing. Adrien found himself in complete and utter awe- he had never thought of traveling by rooftop, yet Marinette had said that she did this every night.

"Try to stay balanced when you jump this gap." She instructed. "And don't worry, we're almost there." Adrien nodded, watching how she expertly jumped across. He hesitated a bit before following her. He landed all right at first, but then his left foot slipped. Before he could even get off balance, Marinette had grabbed both of his arms and steadied him. He smiled gratefully at her, and she smiled back. Her left hand fell down to hold his right while her right let go, leading him across the rooftop and to a mostly-concealed area.

Was it normal to feel like he was in heaven? Holding the love of his life's hand as she lead him to a secret place, exploring something he had never really done before. It almost felt like a dream, and he would've pinched himself had he not almost run into a wall.

"Woah, are you okay?" Marinette asked worriedly, her sweet bluebell eyes full of concern. He smiled and nodded, gesturing for her to continue. She smiled and pulled him into the concealed area.

"This-" She stated, dropping his hand to throw her arms out wide as spin around. "Is my Hideout of Inspiration."

He looked around, noticing that she had clearly brought things up here. Pictures were hung on the walls, and some wood blocked any gaps in the concealed area. There were some wires over head, holding up a tarp that was clearly used to stop the rain from coming in. She had two beanbags, a few pillows, a trash can, art supplies, and even a box full of what he could only suppose were snacks and water bottles. As he looked around, Marinette began to explain.

"I can get inspiration from about anywhere, but most of the things I find inspiring I can't visit every day. So I took all of the best pictures that I could. But then I had another problem- my room doesn't have enough wall space for all of them to be hung up without hiding some of them. I had to find a safe place for them- a place where no one could touch them. I knew that basically no one looks at the rooftops, so I started looking there."

"This place only needed a few tweaks before I could move stuff here, so that nothing got ruined. Then I had to make sure that it would be comfortable and as environmentally-friendly as I could. I hung up a few bird feeders a few roofs away from here when I realized that this was actually one of their favorite hang outs. They don't come in anymore though. So… what do you think?"

Adrien looked away from one of the pictures and smiled at her. He walked over to her and pulled out his phone to type on it.

 _Amazing. Everything here is amazing._ He handed her the phone and she blushed when she read it, handing it back to him.

"Thank you, but it was actually really easy. I wouldn't call it amazing…" He nudged her a bit, and she giggled. "Okay, so maybe it is pretty cool." He typed on his phone again.

 _That includes you, you know._ He hesitated a bit, feeling the heat rising up on his cheeks as he thought it over.

 _Dare he?_

Well, he kinda already insinuated that back in the kitchen, but…

He handed it to her and watched in near delight as her face turned a deeper shade of pink. She squeaked a bit, looking up at him. He held his hand out for his phone when she didn't speak, and for once he wasn't the only silent one. Marinette seemed completely incapable of making any noise when she handed his phone back to him. Adrien sucked up all of his courage, swallowing a bit before typing.

 _It's true. You're amazing, Marinette. I'm so blessed to have been able to meet you, and I was wondering if you would like to go and get ice cream sometime._

He bit his lip, glancing between her and his phone before slowly placing it in her hands. Marinette held onto the phone as though it was the greatest treasure in the world, breath caught in her throat while she read the message.

His nerves, that he had previously shoved down, rose up into his throat again. He shifted the weight on one of his legs to the other one, watching intently for her reaction. Her face went from pink to red almost instantly, her head looking up so that their eyes met. Suddenly, Adrien couldn't remember what he had been nervous about. Her eyes- they were so open. Well, her eyes were wide, but he meant that he could see the emotions she was experiencing. He could see her nervous excitement and slight insecurity, and he would give just about anything in that very moment to be able to see into her thoughts.

He was so lost in their blue-bell depth that he almost missed her whispered response.

"I-I'd love to."

Adrien took a careful step forward, his eyes never leaving hers. He reached his hand up and gently caressed her cheek- brushing some stray hairs behind her ears. He searched her eyes for any objections that she might've had as he leaned down, eyes slowly closing. Much to his relief and delight, Marinette rested one of her hands on his shoulders and leaned forward, her eyes partially closed as well. Adrien took a deep breath, enjoying her smell of fresh baked cookies and vanilla. He closed his eyes, leaning in just a bit more while Marinette used her hand to push herself up on her tiptoes, their lips meeting in a long waited for and electrifying kiss.

It seemed like it had been an eternity before he had pulled away, opening his eyes. Subconsciously, he knew that it hadn't even been a second, but he didn't care. Marinette opened up her eyes as well and smiled shyly up at him, and he smiled back. He leaned down again, wanting to feel her lips on his again- to be sure that it wasn't a dream. Marinette seemed to be thinking along the same line, as she leaned up again.

This one lasted only a tiny bit longer, but Adrien didn't care. He pulled her in for a hug, and her arms instantly wrapped around him. All he could think was how lucky he was to be able to hold her like this- to hold her, the one who saved him from his dreams and memories. That she was allowing _him_ , of all people, to hug and kiss her- _twice!_ He nuzzled her hair, a goofy smile spread as wide as he possibly could.

"Marinette…" He sighed. He felt Marinette freeze in his hold. He frowned, pulling out of the hug to look at her curiously. Her eyes were blown wide in complete shock, and- were those _tears?!_

Had he done something wrong? Had she not wanted to kiss him? What if-

"Adrien…" She breathed, a smile growing on her face. She cupped both sides of his face and let out a laugh. "Adrien, you-you said my name!" Adrien blinked, completely taken aback by her words. Had he? He placed his hand over one of hers and smiled, shrugging. Honestly, he didn't care if he did or not. He was just glad that he was here, with her.

He opened his mouth, and he was surprised when his voice actually seemed to work.

"Marinette." He repeated, and Marinette held a hand to her mouth as tears of joy fell down her face. He didn't notice the happy tears that were falling down his own cheeks, pulling her in for a hug. "Marinette…" She hugged him tightly, and although he couldn't find it in himself to say any other words, he didn't care. He could deal with that later. For now…

All he wanted to do was enjoy this moment.

2807308578237857328075082378578203750827375802375

Marinette didn't know if she had died or not.

The next week or so was spent in a pleasant daze, because not only did Adrien return her feelings- his father approved of their relationship, _and_ he had said her name.

 _Three times!_

Well, sixteen times by now, but he only ever spoke when they were alone. Some of those sixteen times consisted of pet names, like 'princess' and 'my lady', but never once had he said anything that he didn't call her by. At one point she had hesitantly asked if he had said any other words. He had shrugged, wrote that he just didn't feel like saying any other words besides her name, and swooped in for a surprise kiss.

Marinette blushed at the thought, but she pushed it away. She was looking forward to going over to see Adrien at his house. They were probably going to cuddle, play video games, and somehow survive a barrage of written cat puns whenever Plagg would come to hang out with them.

She hummed a happy tune as she walked up to the door, Nathalie opening it up wide. However, instead of it being Nathalie and Adrien, Gabriel stood.

"Ah, good day M. Agreste." She said, slightly bowing politely.

"Good day, Marinette." He said. "I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment." She walked into the house, looking around a bit.

"Where's Adrien?"

"Practicing the piano- he thinks that you'll be here in about ten minutes. It gives me plenty of time to talk to you about this." Marinette's curiosity was piqued, and she followed Gabriel up the stairs and into his office. He held the chair out for her to sit, and she did so. Then he sat down in his chair, hands clasped and his whole person more serious and grave than normal.

"Marinette, I know that you are well aware of how Adrien refuses to speak." Gabriel began. "And I believe that it's about time that you knew why." He let out a long breath- the subject clearly pained him to talk about. Marinette herself couldn't feel if she was breathing or not. "I promised myself that Adrien would be able to tell his friends when he felt like it, but we've already discussed about how you are much more than that to him."

"M. Agreste… is it why he has the nightmares?" Marinette asked, remembering the many times she had woken up at night to help calm him down from such nightmares. She had purposefully added a guaranteed-to-wake-up ringtone for whenever he texted for that very reason.

"I'm afraid so." Gabriel sighed. "Do you wish for me to tell you, or do you want to see?"

"I'd like to see, sir." Gabriel nodded and pulled out a manila folder. He opened it.

"That day, Adrien had tried to convince us to let him go to public school." Gabriel explained. "He wanted to get to know the friends that his cousin always talked about- wanted to know what it would be like if he grew up in a family that wasn't famous. Emilie and I… We had both been bullied in our days at school, so we had promised to save our son from experiencing anything like that." He placed a photo down, and Marinette saw the glass wall in Adrien's bedroom- only a panel was broken.

"Adrien described the intruder as a man dressed in all black. It took a while, but he eventually admitted to them as well that the man had confessed to being hired to kidnap him. Adrien had managed to get him off of him and ran towards the kitchen. Emilie is a light sleeper, so when she heard footsteps running around she rushed out. When she found Adrien, the intruder was on top of him." He pulled out another photo- it was of Adrien's wounds only a few days after the break in. Marinette winced, but didn't look away.

"Adrien had tried throwing glass objects at him, and had dropped some when the man tackled him and started cutting him. Emilie didn't hesitate to grab a frying pan and use it to knock the man off of him, but while she had been comforting Adrien the intruder stood up and…" Gabriel grimaced, showing her the next picture.

Marinette felt _sick_.

Being literally sick felt like _nothing_ compared to the queasiness of her stomach right now as she looked at the picture, and Marinette was shocked that she hadn't actually thrown up upon seeing it.

The beautiful woman that she had seen in family pictures across the house had blood spilled all over her- specifically around the center of her collarbone. Her eyes were closed, white nightgown stained in blood as well as her hair. It also showed the kitchen- the police had probably taken the picture the second they started the investigation. This was easily noted with the glass in the upper left and a frying pan to Emilie's right- just out of reach of her hand.

"I had woken up to my wife shouting and the sound of the frying pan hitting something. I have a knife hidden in my nightstand, so I grabbed it and rushed down there. I was too late to save my wife by the time I had arrived, and it was clear that the intruder was going to injure my son. I stopped him and we fought right there in the kitchen. Adrien had snuck out and pulled the alarm while we were doing that, by the time the police sirens sounded, he had escaped."

Gabriel showed her another picture- this one of the front window being broken. "I didn't chase after him, and unfortunately he and whoever his employer is are still out there. However, when I found Adrien, he was sitting next to-" Gabriel clearly couldn't find it in himself to say anymore, and Marinette rested a hand upon his. "He hasn't spoken a word since." He took a deep breath and looked her dead in the eye.

"Marinette, I'm only telling you this because I trust you. I hope you understand the depth of keeping this under wraps. Andre helped me mask Emilie's death as an accident- only he, Chloe, the Police, Adrien, and myself knew until now." Marinette nodded. "Good. Now, Adrien will be expecting to meet you soon so-"

"You… you said that the man was never caught, right?" Marinette asked slowly. When Gabriel nodded, she pulled out her phone. "You see, the day Adrien and I got together someone came into the bakery and asked for him. Maman and Adrien didn't recognize her, so I supposed that they were a fan or something. When I took him up to my balcony, there was a limo parked in front of our shop with this symbol on it." She pulled out the photo and showed it to him.

"I thought it was weird at the time, but I didn't really think about it. I mean, a lot of famous people live in Paris, and I don't know how many were in the store with her and Maman."

"That is very odd." Gabriel admitted. "Send it to me when you get the chance, I know for sure that that isn't one of my limos, or Andre's." Gabriel walked over to the door and held it open for her. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I hope you have a good time with Adrien."

"Thank you for telling me, M. Agreste." Marinette said as she walked out. "It means a lot to me to know that you trust me."

"No, thank you for making my son laugh." Gabriel replied. Before Marinette could respond, he shut the door to his office. Marinette was starting to get used to the way that he did things, but now she had the mostly complete puzzle.

She knew that she had to tell Adrien that she knew, and she walked straight over to his bedroom to do so.

She only hoped that this pulled them closer together, and not apart like she had seen on TV.

8978675653678907654536474859658473664765876996584736425463547658769878

Adrien continued to practice his piano, getting lost in the sound of the music as he played. He knew that Marinette was going to be coming in soon, but…

Playing was one of the only ways he felt he could truly connect with his mother now that she was beyond the grave. He was so focused on his playing, he didn't notice the door open, or the footsteps that walked over to him. He did notice when someone sat beside him, and he awkwardly stopped his playing to look at Marinette in shock. She smiled at him.

"You don't have to stop playing." Marinette pointed out. "It sounded beautiful." Adrien smiled and wrapped a hand around her, pulling her close and nuzzling the side of her head. Marinette giggled, leaning into his hold.

It was kinda hard to come to grips that he was actually dating her. That they had kissed a total of twenty-nine times since they got together, that his father had approved, and that this amazing girl was in his life.

"Princess…" He mumbled, and Marinette giggled some more, completely relaxed into his hold and making his heart overflow with warmth again.

He never wanted this to ever end.

They remained in the comfortable silence for a few minutes before Marinette shifted. "Adrien… your father talked to me before I came in here."

He froze.

"And… and he told me about what happened with your mother." She slowly moved her arms so that she was hugging him, but Adrien suddenly found that he couldn't breathe.

 _She knew._

"Your father wanted you to tell your friends, but since I'm dating you now I guess he figured that I should know." She explained softly, one of her hands coming up to comb through her hair. "I… I'm sorry, Adrien."

He let out a slow breath that had been caught in his throat, and he could feel the tears beginning to build up in his eyes.

"I wish that I had been there for you then." Marinette admitted, and he could hear the tears in her voice. "It must be so hard without her… I'm sorry, Adrien."

' _You don't have anything to be sorry about, princess.'_ He thought, turning to look at her. ' _It's in the past, and you weren't connected to her murder at all.'_ A tear had already fallen down her cheek, but she smiled anyway. One of her hands found its way to cup his cheek, and he leaned into the touch. She rested her forehead against his.

"But I promise…" She breathed, her thumb coming up to wipe away the tears that were inevitably falling away from his eyes. "I promise that, from now on, I will _always_ be here for you, Adrien. No matter what happens, I will be here. Forever."

"M-Me too, Marinette." He managed to say, pulling her closer to him and burrowing his face into her neck. "Me too."


	10. Chapter 10

A few days later, Marinette, Nino, Alya, and Chloe all met Adrien at his house in order to continue their D&D game.

And they were all growing very annoyed.

"I, uh, could sing them to sleep?" Nino half asked, looking down at the abilities he had on his character sheet.

"If you don't get a high roll, they'll kick us out again." Alya grumbled. Chloe was laying down on the floor in complete defeat- it was her idea that they had tried last time, and it had ultimately failed. Adrien, being the Game Master and all, was far too amused by the turn of events. Marinette frowned in thought, staring down at their makeshift board.

They were trying to gain access to the Mythical Lake that lay next to the capitol city Fortune. Drinking from it would grant you one power, and the powers were one of the only things that they could use to help take down Hawkmoth. Actually, it was the only thing left. The scroll that they could've used had been burned to ashes while they were trying to escape the dragon who guarded it.

 _Go them._

"Why don't we actually try to solve their riddles?" Marinette asked.

"But they ask a different one every time, and if we don't do something within the next two tries they will either kill us, or it'll be impossible to go back in." Nino pointed out.

"But it's the safest way." Alya admitted, leaning forward. "If we try to double cross them, then they'll hurt us and probably kill us this time. They're much _much_ stronger than we are."

Marinette suddenly perked up.

"What if we don't necessarily trick them?"

"What do you mean?" Nino asked. Adrien looked interested as well, and even Chloe lifted her head off of the floor to look at her.

"What if we claim to have a riddle that they can't solve?" Marinette asked, eyeing the two soldier guys that marked where the guardians were. "And then give them a… what's the word… Oxymoron…? No, but that's close… paradox!" She snapped her fingers. "We'll give them a Paradox!"

"Paradox?" Nino asked.

"Oh, I love paradoxes!" Alya exclaimed. She smirked and leaned close to Nino, who was confused. "Nino, this statement is false."

Nino's eyebrows remained narrowed in confusion. "But if it's false, then it's the truth. But it can't be the truth, because you said that it's- oohhhh." Nino's eyes blew wide at the realization.

"But wouldn't they know that?" Chloe asked.

"It's worth a shot." Alya shrugged. "Better than any of the other ideas. Who has the most skill in riling people up?"

"I do." Chloe sighed, getting off of the floor and sitting up. "What Paradox should I tell them?"

"I have a whole list." Alya smiled and reached over for her schoolbag. She pulled out a notebook and handed it to Chloe. "Use as many as you want."

"Akright, let's head in again." Nino said while Chloe read over the list with a raised eyebrow. They all moved their character-placers into the room, a small ways away from the army-guys. Adrien smiled and typed something up.

"Welcome again, travelers." The recorded voice spoke. "Are you ready for your new riddle?"

"Yes."

"What has-"

"These riddles are so boring." Chloe drawled, rolling a twenty-sided dice. She smirked when she got eighteen. "I mean, come on, you guys need some new material." Adrien looked at the number that she rolled and paused the recording, typing something up.

"What do you mean? We are the riddle masters of the Mythical Lake!" The recorded voice exclaimed.

"I could do so much better." Chloe rolled again, this time a seventeen. "How about this, if I give you a riddle that you can't solve, you let us through to the lake."

"Hmn… daring request, but we know all, so it is likely that we will win. Go ahead, we accept." The recorded voice spoke.

"Okay, I'll give you one." Chloe cleared her throat, looking down. "I can't resist anything but temptation."

Adrien gestured for her to roll while he took a spare twenty-sided dice and rolled. Fifteen. Chloe rolled and it was a fifteen too. Adrien stared at the numbers a bit and then looked at something behind his game-master divider. Then he typed something on his phone.

"But temptation is what one must always resist…" Suddenly laughter, and all of them stopped breathing. "Why, you are a master of riddles! How clever, using a paradox to get through. You may go, but if you try this again I will not tolerate it." Everyone but Adrien simultaneously let out sighs of relief, and Adrien moved their characters to the lake.

"That was close." Nino leaned back on his hands.

"Thank heavens." Alya added.

"Shall we get our powers?" Marinette asked, looking at Adrien. Adrien smiled and handed her a piece of paper.

 _Ladies first, bugaboo._ It read. Marinette nodded.

"I guess I'll take a drink." Adrien handed her a six-sided die, and she rolled it. A one. Adrien looked down and smiled. Then he wrote on some paper and handed it to her.

"Bestowed upon you is the power of creation. May you use this power wisely and for good." Marinette read out loud.

"Lucky bug." Alya snatched the dice away from Marinette and rolled. "Three." Adrien wrote down something and handed it to her so that she could read it out loud. "Bestowed upon you is the power of illusion. May you never find yourself in a sticky situation. Aww, heck-yeah!" Alya happily handed it to Chloe.

"I'll get some too." She rolled and got a five. Adrien wrote something down and handed it to her. "Bestowed upon you is the gift of speed. Oh, everyone but me gets the best gifts." Chloe drawled, rolling her eyes and tossing it to Nino. Nino caught it with one hand and looked down as he rolled in one fluid movement.

"Four." He reported, and Adrien handed him some paper. "I got strength!"

"Let's see what you get, Chat Noir." Marinette said playfully, kissing is cheek. Adrien smiled at her and lazily took the dice, practically letting the die roll off his hand. Instead of focusing on his roll, he leaned in and kissed her cheek, whispering a 'Princess' quieter than the others could hear. Marinette blushed, melting at the smirk on his face as he pulled away.

' _Stupidly handsome cat.'_ She thought.

"Dude, how'd you do that?" Nino asked. Adrien looked at his friend curiously, bringing them out of their moment.

"You got a six and you didn't even try!" Alya exclaimed. Chloe was glaring at the said die, whose face-up number was indeed a six. Adrien and Marinette both blinked at the die.

"What did you get?" Marinette asked, looking over at her boyfriend's face. Adrien seemed a bit displeased, but he shrugged anyway and pulled out some paper to write on.

 _The power of destruction- looks like we really were meant for each other, milady._ The note read. She blushed.

"What did he say?" Alya asked, trying to snatch the paper. Marinette managed to hand it back to Adrien before then, and her friend pouted.

"Bestowed upon Chat Noir is the power of destruction." She said in a mythical voice, smiling lovingly at Adrien. She remembered one of her mother's favorite Chinese symbols and continued. "For every Yin needs a Yang."

Marinette wasn't sure if Adrien had ever smiled that widely in his life.

0237508723087502837508273805327587208357082735872075872803

Adrien loved Marinette's bakery, despite all of the knives. He'd much rather they hung out there than anywhere else- the warm atmosphere and constant smell of baking goods helping him to relax like nothing had ever had before.

Even _with_ the knives.

You could say that he was getting better. Marinette always shot him a sympathetic look whenever one was brought within his sights, and no one else ever seemed to notice. The flashbacks from seeing the knives would lessen too- he could now ignore them and continue to bask in the toasty warmth without fear.

However, today was going to be a first.

The bakery was completely loaded into overdrive today. When he had gotten there with Alya, Nino, Marinette, and Chloe, Sabine had asked if they would like to help them. Of course, they had all agreed. Sabine and Alya were managing the front while Chloe decided that she could 'help' by making sure that there was order in the store. Tom was in the back with Marinette, Nino, and himself.

Currently, he and Nino were working on the easy stuff. Adrien was watching the oven and in control of the mixer, and Nino was kneading dough and shaping it into croissants. Marinette and Tom were working on the more complex things, like cookie decorations and making the batter and dough.

He put on the oven mitts when the timer for the oven dinged, opening the door and using the baker's paddle to take it out. He inhaled the smell of the fresh bread and placed it next to the others. Then he grabbed the dough for the croissants and placed them in, setting the appropriate time (that he had now memorized by heart) and taking the mitts off.

"Hey, Adrien, can you come over here and help Marinette for a moment?" Tom asked. "I think the delivery for some supplies just got in." Adrien nodded and walked over to see exactly what Marinette was doing. Her tongue was sticking out of the corner of her mouth adorably as she worked, eyes narrowed in concentration as she cut the bread into slices.

With a knife.

"You don't have to help me, Adrien." Marinette admitted, glancing at him worriedly when she realized that he was staring at the object in her hands. He shook his head.

' _No.'_ He thought. ' _I want to. Being afraid shouldn't stop me from helping you, Princess.'_

With determined hands, he reached for the knife, gently taking it from her. Images flashed in his head.

 _Shadowed Man._

 _Broken Glass._

 _Blood._

 _Police Sirens._

 _Dull green eyes._

"-drien." Marinette's voice snapped him out of it, and he could feel even Nino's eyes on him. Her hands were over his, which he had just noticed were shaking badly. "Hey, it's okay."

"Is something going on in here?" Alya's voice was worried, but it sounded more distant than it should've. Marinette stood a bit closer to him, almost protectively.

"Here, maybe this will help, okay?" Marinette's voice was so soft and sweet, Adrien felt his increased heart rate slow a bit.

And then he had a heart attack when Marinette pressed the palm of her hand against the sharp end of the knife.

He jolted, calling her name desperately. "Marinette!"

"Hey, hey, look." She said, smiling up at him. She pulled her hand away, and Adrien was prepared to see a red substance beginning to drip down her hand-

Only for it to remain powdered in flower, the way it had been before she had placed her hand against the knife.

He frantically looked between her and the knife with her hand, confused.

Weren't knives supposed to be sharp enough to hurt people?

 _Why had Marinette done that?_

 ** _Why wasn't she bleeding?_**

Much to his slight annoyance, Marinette giggled at his confusion.

"Adrien, there are lots of different knives out there." She said, her arm that was wrapped around him squeezing tightly. "This one's called a bread knife. It's sharp enough to cut through bread, but dull enough that it doesn't hurt you unless you make it that way." To prove her point, she tapped her finger against the blade. True to her word, it didn't start bleeding. "We only have a few knives that can hurt you at a single touch, and they're all tucked away upstairs so that they can't hurt anyone. You're safe."

Her words allowed Adrien to let out a breath he didn't even know that he was holding. He nodded, leaning over slightly to rest his head against hers.

' _Don't scare me like that.'_ He thought, closing his eyes as his heart rate slowed.

"Is there something that you two love birds haven't told us yet?" Alya's voice spoke from behind them, and Adrien froze.

"Nothing that you should worry about, Alya." Marinette replied in her 'we'll either talk about it later or not at all' voice, and Adrien relaxed again.

"Adrien, dude!" Nino said earnestly. "When did you start to talk?!"

"Nino!" Marinette hissed. Adrien wrapped an arm around her to pull Marinette closer to him, and nuzzled his nose against her hair, smirking.

"My Princess."

"Oh no-" Marinette groaned.

"My lady." He continued, smug. Payback for scaring one of his lives away. "Bugaboo, Buginette, Spots, My Lucky Charm, My Girlfriend-"

"Alya, put your phone away!" Marinette exclaimed, her face red.

"Nu-uh, and I'm gonna be keeping this video until you spill." Marinette huffed in annoyance. Adrien rolled his eyes and leaned down enough to look her in the eye. He nodded, and she smiled shyly.

"He still doesn't talk a lot." She admitted. "But every now and again he'll say something. We're going slow with it."

"Does his father know?" Nino asked.

Adrien shook his head, tightening his hold on Marinette.

"No." She sighed. "As far as I'm aware, he's only spoken around me until now." Deciding that the conversation was over, Marinette directed his hand with the knife to the loaf of bread. "Here, Adrien, let me show you how to slice bread."

Adrien smiled and nodded, the memories of horrid nights and red liquid quelled by the softness of her voice and enchanting blue-bell eyes.

Truly, Adrien couldn't have wished to be anywhere else.


	11. Chapter 11

Marinette was too excited for any of this to be considered anything _but_ fun.

It was a few weeks later, and there was a fair in the park across from her house. Gabriel had agreed to let Adrien hang out with her, Alya, Nino, and Chloe; which translated to double date with Chloe fifth-wheeling.

Of course, if Chloe had had the courage to actually ask Nathaniel out on a date it wouldn't be that way, but the blonde was stubborn.

Then again, her feelings had only started about a month ago, so Marinette could understand not wanting to act on them.

Her smile lit up when she saw Adrien walk out of his Limo with Chloe and Nino- Alya was already there with her helping her parent's stand. Adrien's face lit up as well when he saw her, and they both ran towards each other and embraced the other tightly.

"You'd think that they'd been separated for months and not just a day." Chloe scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"You'll understand when you finally ask Nathaniel out." Alya chided as Nino wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Chloe's face turned red, but she turned her nose up and humphed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So, what should we do today?" Marinette asked, only slightly leaning out of her hug with Adrien. Adrien leaned down and nuzzled his face into her neck lovingly.

"I don't know, walk around and do whatever. There are a bunch of games here that we can play, anyway." Nino suggested. Alya leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"That sounds amazing." Marinette looked at Adrien with a questioning look, and his smile grew in return.

"Sounds like fun!" She replied with a smile.

"Shall we split up?" Chloe asked, and they all shrugged. "Good, we're splitting up, I can't stand anymore of your couple mush." Then she promptly walked off.

"Guess we're going on our own." Marinette smiled at Adrien before turning to look at her parents, who were watching the whole thing in amusement. "Maman, Papa, we'll be back for lunch!"

"Have fun!" Her father replied happily with a wave. Marinette and Adrien walked away hand-in-hand, looking around at all of the stands and games. They participated in a few games, ate ice cream, and tried on silly outfits over their clothes. Eventually they found themselves on one of the benches by the edge of the park, talking and laughing and her telling him to stop with the ridiculous puns.

A comfortable silence fell between them at one point, with Marinette in Adrien's lap while they cuddled. Adrien might've been purring as well, but Marinette didn't dare ask because then he would stop. Something flashed in the distance, and Marinette took a closer look.

"Hey, Adrien." She whispered, nudging him. "Is that your bodyguard?" Adrien, lazily, looked up and in the same direction that she was looking. Adrien kissed her cheek, which she took as an 'I'll be back soon'. She allowed him to leave and walk into the crowd, even though she missed the warmths of his embrace.

Then, out of seemingly nowhere, a cloth was pressed against her mouth and nose. Someone pinned her arms to her sides when Marinette started to struggle, her vision going hazy with sleep.

 _Chloroform._

"Don't worry." A gruff voice said as her struggles slowed and weakened. Marinette struggled to keep her eyes open. "You're in good hands." Her eyes finally closed, her last conscious thought going out towards Adrien.

' _Help…'_

2973659723659726375923657923657962379567923675293567236597623

Unable to find his bodyguard within the immediate vicinity, Adrien walked back over to the bench with thoughts of having fun with his girlfriend-

Only to find that she wasn't there anymore.

His heart soared with panic as he looked around, managing to catch two grown men placing a sleeping figure with black/blue hair tied into familiar pigtails into a black van. Instantly he moved, managing to hop on the back of it. When he couldn't open the door, and the van started moving, Adrien pulled out his phone.

 _Adrien: Marinette's being kidnapped. Get backup and follow me._

He sent the text and then proceeded to make himself as small as possible. He tried opening the back of the van again, even attempting to pick the lock, but nothing worked. He growled, but was glad that no one had (miraculously) noticed him.

By the time the van finally stopped, Adrien had absolutely no idea where he was. The doors on either side opened, and footsteps told him that they were coming to the back. He swiftly landed on the ground and shimmied under the van, remaining as hidden as he could.

"I don't get it." One of the men said. "Why didn't we just get the boy? Grabbing the girl is a waste of time."

"Hey, don't question the boss's orders." It sounded like he grabbed Marinette. "Come on, the boss wants her tied up in there."

"Alright, alright." The other man grabbed something and followed the man into one of the buildings. Adrien was quick to follow as stealthily as possible, and he eventually found himself in what looked like a storage space. Marinette was fast asleep, even when they placed her in the chair and tied her up. Adrien managed to sneak into the room just as they finished, hiding behind some boxes.

"The boss will be here in a few minutes." One of them said. "Come on, she didn't want us in here when the girl woke up." They left, and Adrien waited a few seconds before rushing over to Marinette. While he could untie her now, it would be easier to escape if she was awake.

"Marinette." He whispered, shaking her shoulders. "Marinette!"

A groan, and he knew that she was almost awake.

"Princess, w-wake up."

"Huh?"

"Marinette." He smiled when her blue-bell eyes opened slowly.

"Adrien." She mumbled. "Where…"

"You w-were kidnapped." He moved behind her, in a well hidden alcove of boxes, and began to work on freeing her. "Don't worry, I-I'll get you out of here."

The clicking of heels tapped against the floor outside, and Adrien froze before he even started on undoing Marinette's ties. The door opened and closed, and the room was dim enough that Adrien could look through the boxes next to Marinette to see just who it was.

' _Lila?'_ He thought. Then he shook his head. ' _No, this woman is much older, which would mean-'_

"Mme. Rossi?" Marinette asked in shock.

"Hello, Marinette." The woman smiled sweetly, but her eyes said anything but.

"What's going on?" Marinette's hands struggled against the bonds, and Adrien remembered that he had a job to do. He shifted back behind her as quietly as he could, working on untying the rope. "What am I doing here?"

"Oh, you're going to help get me what I want." Mme. Rossi walked forward. "Do you know how long I've waited for this moment? Waited to beat the 'oh so precious' Emilie Agreste?"

Adrien froze again.

 _What._

"Of course, you have no idea what I'm talking about." Mme. Rossi laughed. "Gabriel, unfortunately, doesn't talk about me at all, not even to his own son- does he, Adrien?"

Adrien flinched at his name, and Marinette gasped.

"No point in hiding, sweetie, I saw you through the security feed. I didn't expect you to come here, but it certainly makes things easier."

"What do you want with us?"

"Power over Gabriel, of course." Mme. Rossi smirked. "Well, the original plan was power over both him and Adrien, but since he's here we have even more leverage."

"Wh-What were you talking about?" Adrien asked, taking one of Marinette's tied hands into his own. She gave him a comforting squeeze.

"Ah, with your mother." Mme. Rossi sighed. "Emilie was always better at everything. She wasn't even all that important- not a model, not a math wiz, and had absolutely no taste in music." She growled. "Mine and Gabriel's marriage was arranged. We were meant to be married, meant to have children and settle down somewhere in Paris. But he chose her, and somehow convinced his parents to call off the arrangement! An arrangement that's been promised ever since we were born! And she comes along and ruins it."

"Couldn't you have been happy for him?" Marinette asked as Adrien got back to untying her.

"Not when she used her seductive ways to steal him from me!" Mme. Rossi hissed. "Not when I was promised him, only for him to be snatched away from me last second! Not when I was the only one that was supposed to make him happy!"

"What about Lila?" Marinette asked. "Surely you found happiness, right?"

"I was raped." Mme. Rossi hissed. "I couldn't leave behind the child that was supposed to be mine and Gabriel's! Lila is my daughter, my pride and joy! She deserves a father of the likes of Gabriel Agreste! So, I knew I had to do something."

"So you chose to kidnap me?" Marinette asked. The elder woman laughed.

"Oh, no, this was attempt two."

 _Attempt two._

The words echoed around Adrien's head and made him sick to his stomach. He felt like he was going to throw up.

 _Attempt two._

 _Second Try._

 _This meant that she had tried before._

"You…" Marinette's voice wavered. "But that means that-"

"Yes." Mme. Rossi sounded like she was smirking. "I was the one who hired the man to break in that night."


	12. Chapter 12

Marinette growled, pure anger settling into her head. The elder woman didn't even look like she cared about Marinette looking ready to rip her to shreds- she just continued looking down at her manicure.

"Of course, I told him to not hurt you, Adrien, but he just had to go and let his anger get the best of him." She sighed. "Once that was a flop, I knew I had to lay low. I moved Lila and myself to Italy for a year or two before coming back. It was actually quite perfect when I found out that she had fallen for Adrien the way I had fallen for Gabriel. I knew I had to seal their marriage, or something similar, right away, but Gabriel would never agree to something like that without something as incentive. My plan was perfect too, until Adrien decided to go to public school and start dating you. Threw off my plans quite a bit, but that's okay, because if I had you then I knew that Adrien would agree to the marriage to save your pathetic life."

"What about his mother?!" She seethed, leaning as far as she could in her current state. "Do you hold no remorse?! No guilt?!"

"Oh, Emilie had it coming to her." A dark look entered Mme. Rossi's hazel eyes. "Foolish of her, to try and get in my plans. Her death actually made things easier."

"What does Lila know of this?!"

"Nothing." Her hazel eyes were rolled as she stopped leaning against the wall. "My daughter wouldn't have approved. She was always one for natural love nonsense. She wouldn't agree if she knew what was happening."

"Murderer!" Marinette exclaimed, fighting against her bonds. "Monster, Lunatic!"

"Ah, I'm sure that all of those names apply to the situation." She smirked. "Unfortunately for you, I have a bargain to make. Au Revoir~!" She blew them a kiss in such a sickening sweet way that Marinette gagged.

"I swear, you witch, when I get my hands on you you'll pay!" Marinette shouted as the door closed and clicked. What sounded like a lock was heard as well. "You'll pay for all of this! I won't rest until I see you stupid head behind bars! Just you wait!" She spat on the floor in front of her, her labored breaths the only sound you could hear in the room.

But…

 _Adrien._

The sudden memory of him being in the room during that whole thing made her stomach sink _far_ lower than her chair.

 _Oh, Adrien._

She couldn't find it in herself to speak, slowly looking over her shoulder as much as she could. All she could see was a mop of blonde hair pressed against her chair.

"..." She took a deep breath, willing her body to turn a little more so that she could see him, but the same view was granted her. "...Adrien?"

"She… she killed her…" She heard him whisper brokenly. "She killed mother…"

"Hey, Adrien, listen to me." Her voice sounded desperate, and a little hysteric, even to her. She closed her mouth and tried again. "Adrien, I want you to focus on my voice. I know that things don't seem okay now-" She could hear him start to hyperventilate.

 _Crap._

"-But you need to trust me when I say that it will eventually, okay?" No response. "Adrien, hey, I need you to do something for me, alright?" She felt him nod against her chair. "I want you to breath with me, okay? You know, when I breathe in you breath in, and when I breathe out you breathe out, okay?"

' _Dang it.'_ She cursed herself for sounding panicked. ' _That's not going to help.'_

Nonetheless, she felt him nod again, and she steeled herself in her resolve. "Alright, breathe in-" She sucked in a large breath, and she heard him do the same from behind her. "...And breath out." She let all of the air out, and eagerly listened to his own breaths. "Breathe in-"

"Oh my gosh…" Adrien sucked in a choppy breath. Marinette would've been thrilled that he was speaking more and more words, but this was literally the worst time. "Oh my gosh, she- I-"

"Adrien, listen to my voice." It was a struggle to keep her voice calm, but she somehow managed it. Adrien stopped talking, but his breaths were still quick. She needed him to calm. "Listen to me, focus on my voice, please. I need you to calm down, and I'm going to help you do that, okay?"

"O-Okay."

"Now, I need you to breathe with me again, okay?"

"M-Marinette, There-there's so much-" Adrien sucked in a breath, and Marinette's heart rate went through the ceiling.

"Adrien?"

"M-Mother…" His breathing grew even more frantic and fast. "She-She's- There's too much- I can't-"

 _Flashbacks._

He was having flashbacks.

"Adrien!" She shouted, and he stopped speaking again. "Adrien, please, you're not in your house."

"I-I'm… not…"

"You're mother isn't here."

"Th-That's right…" Adrien's breath seemed to be slowing down on it's own, and his hand grabbed her tied ones. "Mother's not here… you're here…"

"There's no blood." She continued, her voice becoming softer. "No one's hurt."

"Princess…" He sighed, his hand tightening it's hold on hers. Marinette did her best to hold his hand back. After a few more minutes, she felt him shift.

"I…" He paused. "I should probably get you out of those, huh?"

"Adrien-"

"I'll be okay." He interrupted her, working on her ropes. "I-I really will be. We need to get out of here."

She decided to stay silent as he worked, knowing that saying anything at the moment would probably make things worse. The ropes tying her slowly loosened at Adrien's hand, and once she was free she stood up and turned around. She didn't think before throwing her arms around him and pulling him in for a hug. His arms instantly wrapped around her.

"Oh, Adrien!" She cried into his neck. "I-I'm so sorry~!"

"Wh-What are you sorry for?" He asked with a small laugh, but she didn't miss how his voice wavered. "She was… after me, and it's my fault and-"

"It's not your fault!" She cut him off, holding him tighter. "It's Mme. Rossi's fault!"

"Mari-" Aggravated, desprate, elated, and terrified, she grabbed his cheeks and pulled him down.

She focused on putting all of the love that she could into that kiss, pushing her lips against his and pulling him closer and closer. She needed him to know that it really wasn't his fault, that it was okay- that _they_ were okay.

It took a bit, but he eventually relaxed and responded to her impromptu kiss. His arms wound around her more and combed through her hair, and when she had to break the kiss to breathe she rested her forehead on his chest.

"It's never been your fault." She told him as they both caught their breath. "And it never will be. We need to get out of here and tell your father, stop Mme. Rossi from doing this."

"You're right." He eventually said, resting his chin on her head. "But…"

"But?"

"Can-Can we stay like this for a moment? Please?" His voice sounded so scared and so sad that she held him tighter, shifting her head so that she could nuzzle his neck.

"Of course we can, chaton."

926579236579326975697236579367956293756237659723

Gabriel growled as he stood there, in front of a set of buildings. His son's text message had instantly gotten himself, Nathalie, and the Gorilla following Adrien's phone signal.

Unfortunately, it ended here.

His phone rang, and he swiftly answered and held it up to his ear.

"About time you called- where on earth are you? We told you to meet us here-"

"You should take more care in checking the number before you pick up the phone, Gabriel."

The familiar voice tugged on his memory, though he didn't know why.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"Forget me so soon?" The female's sickeningly sweet voice made him growl in frustration. "It's no wonder your son doesn't know me then."

His heart stopped, and he gripped his cell phone so hard his hand started to shake.

"Where. Is. My. Son."

"Safe." The voice replied vaguely. "And with that Dupain-Cheng, for now."

"I swear, if you do anything to him, I'll-"

"As if I'd do anything to my daughter's future husband." She paused. "Or brother, I'm okay with either option."

"What do you want?"

"I want what should've been ours, Gabe."

"I'm afraid that I don't understand."

"And you won't be able to do anything until you do." He could almost see whoever it was smirking. "I mean, certainly you wouldn't forget the woman you were engaged to since birth."

His phone dropped.

 _Vivian Rossi._

That was who had his son and Marinette.

But he had put a restraining order on her! What was she doing with Adrien?!

All of the possible charges for her arrest went through his mind, and he slowly reached down and picked up his phone.

"Do you realize what you've done, Vivian?"

"So he remembers!" She teased. "And yes, I finally have the power to have you in the palm of my hand. Isn't it amazing?"

"You don't have any-"

"You forget so easily, don't you?" She sighed. "I have your son and the girl. I could do anything that I wanted to either of them. Preferably the Dupain-Cheng- she's expendable."

Gabriel growled in frustration.

"You're not going to get away with this."

"I never thought that you could ever be the optimist, Gabe." She replied. "I mean, surely you understand that I can do anything to them, right?"

Gabriel mentally cursed, running over his options. The police weren't here yet, and he didn't know just what she might have the ability to do. All three of the people currently present were armed, but he also didn't know how many people she had working for her.

"What do you say, Gabriel?" She asked. Gabriel pulled out the gun that he had brought with him in his pocket, turning toward the door.

"I say…" He said, nodding at Nathalie and his son's bodyguard. "That I'm coming to get my son."

"..." She sighed. "How very much you. If you don't hurry, something might happen-" He hung up and strode into the building, Nathalie and the Gorilla behind him.

' _I already lost Emilie.'_ He thought. ' _I'm not about to lose my son.'_


	13. Chapter 13

Adrien took a long, deep breath as he reveled in the hug he had with Marinette, the dark abyss of memories put at bay by the light of what was his Princess.

But he knew that they had to leave soon. They couldn't stay forever- they had to find some way to escape. However, he selfishly wished for them to stay where they were- to stay in the room, away from the world, just him and Marinette.

He slowly pulled out of the hug, opening up his eyes to look down into her enchanting blue-bell orbs that threatened to swallow all of him into their depths. In fact, he would more than like to do that right now, and he glanced down at her lips.

No, he shouldn't be thinking of kissing her. They had to escape.

Marinette, seemingly knowing his thoughts, gave him a quick peck on the lips and smiled up at him.

"Everything will be okay." She said, and he nodded in agreement. She weaved her fingers into his own, squeezing his hand. "Let's get out of here."

"Yeah." He said, nodding. Then he blinked a bit in shock, thinking over the past several minutes.

Oh.

 _Oh._

He had been speaking. Well, he supposed that he hadn't really had any choice. Not if he didn't want his phone to die while still letting out a signal so that his father could find him and Marinette, and he didn't have the notepad on him.

Wow.

Just- _wow._

"I bet that the door's locked." Marinette continued as she looked at the doorknob intently, bringing him out of his thoughts. "What we need is either something to pick it with, or a way to drag attention to ourselves and then sneak out."

"I-I think that we should try lock picking first." Adrien admitted.

"But what would we use?" Marinette voiced her main worry, feeling around in her pockets. "I don't have any bobby pins on me today."

"Don't worry, Princess." Adrien began to search his own pockets. "S-Sometimes I have to use bobby pins in photo shoots, so I might have one on me…"

"Wait- do we even know how to pick locks?" Marinette asked. Adrien blushed and shook his head. Marinette's face was red with embarrassment too.

"Okay, so we're going to cause a scene." Marinette nodded. "What could we do to get their attention?"

"M-Maybe pretend we're being saved even though there's only one entrance?" Adrien half-asked. He internally melted when she smirked.

"I think that they're dumb enough to fall for that."

2973659723569236562736597623567926375623695

After they had a plan, Marinette got into position. Adrien hid behind some boxes by the door, and then she knocked over some boxed.

"M. Agreste!" She said loudly. "You're here for us! And with the Police?! Adrien, we've been rescued!" Silence, and then the door was opened, and the two men had their guns at the ready.

Too bad they wouldn't be able to use them- Adrien ran into them and knocked them over while snagging the keys. He stood up, and Marinette hurried out of the room with him right behind her. She closed the door and he locked it.

"Hey!"

"Come back here!"

"Come on." She said, tugging on her boyfriend's arm. "We don't know if they have a spare set, so it's best that we start moving now."

"R-Right." He nodded, his fingers intertwining with hers as he looked around. He pointed towards the left hall. "Come on, I think that that's the way out."

She squeezed his hand as they began to move.

"I trust you." She said softly. He shot her a weak, grateful smile before focusing more on the task at hand. Marinette's heart thumped heavily in her chest as they turned the corner.

"I trust you too." He whispered, loud enough that only she could hear it as he squeezed her hand back.

And so, they began to make their way through the maze of halls, unsure of what was going to happen next.

73265972369756263572635976293

"Dang it!" Vivian slammed her fist against her desk, which was covered with cameras and security feeds. "I'm going to have to cut them off." She stood up, heels clicking as she reached for a gun on the desk that she was next to. She hesitated as her phone rang, reaching inside of it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, mother!" Lila's voice came through the other end. "I remembered that you wanted me to get into contact with you when I got home!"

"Inside, right?" Vivian asked.

"Of course, mother!" Vivian sighed a bit in relief. "Will you be home for dinner?"

"Yes! And don't worry-" Vivian's hands reached away from the gun to grab the knife that had been laying innocently beside it. "I'm getting you something special, so I might be a little late."

"Oh, okay." Lila said, clearly a bit off-put and the statement. "You know that you don't need to get me anything, right mother? I love you."

"I know, and I love you too, but I still want to get it for you."

"Ah… okay. I'll see you later, mother."

"See you soon, my sweet Lila." Vivian hung up and put her phone back where it was, twirling the knife around in her hands as she walked to the door.

"Trust me." She said. "You are going to have a better life than I did, Lila. I promise."


	14. Chapter 14

"Sir, we've searched this whole building, and we still haven't found Adrien or Marinette." Nathalie pointed out as Gabriel forced open another door. He growled and slammed it shut when he realized it was just a closet.

"But his signal pointed to here!" He insisted, throwing open another door.

"Actually, sir, it was in the middle of the road." Nathalie pointed out. "He could have been in either building- you just chose to go with this one."

"Dang-it, Nathalie, why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Gabriel hissed, turning around to head for the stairs.

"Because I thought that you already knew that, sir." The amused glance that Adrien's bodyguard and Nathalie shared made him growl.

No, he was not embarrassed that he hadn't thought of that earlier. His mind had been centered around finding and saving his son.

Totally not embarrassed.

...

If Emilie had been here she probably would've been laughing at him too.

…

 _Now_ he was embarrassed.

3320652365973697569723567923679569263

"Stay here." Adrien whispered. Marinette nodded, and Adrien quickly hurried to the other side of the hall to look around the corner.

Empty.

He quickly waved her over, their hands seeking the other's out instinctively as they moved quietly and swiftly.

Honestly, Marinette would have insisted that she do some of the sneaking around herself if this was a normal case, but Adrien would only stress even more.

Marinette watched her boyfriend observe the walls with sharp, green eyes that were clearly on edge. She squeezed his hand for what was probably the tenth time, and he flashed her a smile while squeezing hers back. Then they quickly rushed down the halls, as quietly as they could. Adrien looked around the corner and smiled.

"That's it." He whispered, pointing at the door. "That's our way out." Marinette got up on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek.

Alas, just before they could start moving towards it, Marinette was yanked back. She gasped, and something was pressed into her neck.

A knife, if the horrified expression on Adrien's face said anything.

"Not another step." The voice that Marinette instantly recognised as Vivian Rossi said menacingly, holding the knife closer to Marinette's neck.

"Let her go!"

"Not until we make a deal, Adrien." Adrien looked Marinette in the eye, and she shook her head.

' _No.'_ She thought. ' _Don't do it.'_

He took a deep breath.

"What… what kind of deal?"

3926597236597623796579235672369576239756

Adrien nearly growled when Vivian's smirk grew wide, her hold on Marinette tightening.

"I want you to marry my daughter." She said sweetly. "You want me to let your little friend go. We can compromise, Adrien."

The words 'over my dead body' were on the tip of his tongue, but then Vivian held the very sharp, very _real_ knife closer to Marinette's neck. It cut through the skin, a small trickle of blood falling down the blade.

As much as he wanted to run over there and save his Princess, he was frozen- frozen in fear while simultaneously trying to fight the images away.

It was a struggle to keep his breathing under control- to swallow down his immediate response of fleeing to stay and fight for his girlfriend.

"If-If you know what's best for you, you'll let her go!" Adrien shouted. Vaguely he could feel his arm's shaking, and he tried to remember what Marinette had taught him about knives.

Then again, this didn't look anything like her kitchen knives.

"Oh, I know what's best for me and my daughter." Vivian tightened her grip, and Marinette let out a whimper, tears gathering in her eyes. "You will marry Lila, or so help me no one will ever see your 'precious Marinette' again."

Crap, his pathetic attempt at being intimidating (despite being absolutely and utterly terrified) had failed worse than he had expected. What else could he do? His legs were shaking now- at any moment, he was seconds away from collapsing and begging for Marinette's life to be spared- that he'd do anything for her, so long as she was alive.

But, at the same time, he didn't know how true Vivian's promises were. He had watched enough movies and read enough books to know that people who were generally like her didn't keep their promises and went through with the threat anyway.

"How do I know that you'll keep your promise?" He asked softly. Marinette's eyes grew wide.

"No, Adrien, don't!" She exclaimed. "You have to run! I'll be fine, just go, Adrien! You have to-" Vivian pressed the knife down a bit more against Marinette, and she cried out.

"You stay quiet." Vivian hissed, glaring down at her. Then she looked back up at Adrien, a malicious smile on her face. "And I have always kept my promises, sweet-heart. Dupain-Cheng will be released, but you have to agree to wed my daughter first.

Adrien swallowed. His throat felt as though it was clamped against his vocal chords, preventing him from speaking. Earlier, he probably wouldn't have minded, but now Marinette's life was on the line, and the only way to save her was to agree.

He opened his mouth, but his throat refused to allow him to speak. He closed his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut, looking down.

He couldn't stand to see the knife at her neck, nor the tears in her eyes.

' _Mother.'_ He thought. ' _What am I supposed to do?'_

 ** _BANG!_**

Adrien jumped and turned around to look at the exit door, mouth dropped in shock.

"Vivian Rossi." Gabriel Agreste growled, holding up a gun and aiming it at the other's head. "You will let Mlle. Dupain-Cheng go, or so help me I will not hesitate to do my worst."

"Well, this is interesting." Vivian mused. "Well, now the two of you have two choices. Adrien can marry Lila and save Marinette, or Gabriel can marry me and save Marinette."

"That's sick!" Marinette cried out again when Vivian tightened her hold.

"Don't hurt her!" Adrien exclaimed, stepping forward. He heard a gasp from behind, but he was too worried about the growing amount of blood coming from his lady's neck.

"One way or the other, my daughter will be an Agreste!" Vivian exclaimed. "I won't let some low-life commoner take away what's rightfully mine again!"

"The Police are coming, Vivian." His father said, stepping forward until he was right next to Adrien. He placed a hand on his son's shoulder and squeezed it gently, a protective, supportive, and proud motion that almost had Adrien crying on the spot from everything that was happening. "You have lost. Return Marinette to us, now."

Vivian growled before practically shoving Marinette to the ground. Adrien was relieved before he saw Vivian pulling out a gun from her cleavage.

Where the heck had that come from?! Did she have that on her at all times? If he wasn't already, Adrien was pretty sure that he was scarred for life.

But now wasn't the time.

"If my daughter can't marry Adrien." Vivian vowed "No one can."

She was already aiming the gun at Marinette, who was frozen like a deer caught in the headlights. Adrien didn't think before he moved, throwing himself towards her.

"Marinette!" The word was torn from his throat, which had suddenly decided to allow him to speak. His heart was thumping so loudly in his ears, he wasn't sure if he could hear anything else, but he didn't care.

 _Protect._

 _He needed to protect her._

He vaguely felt himself falling onto his knees beside her, a hand reached out so that he could lean over and protect her just as the gunshot sounded.


	15. Chapter 15

_Panic._

That was all that Marinette could feel right now.

It had happened so slowly, too. Adrien landing in a kneel beside her, his hand outstretched and body already halfway leaning over her own when the shot sounded.

His green eyes were wide, his mouth partially open. In that moment, everything was frozen. Marinette could've sworn that she saw the bullet as it slowly made it's way towards them, embedding itself in Adrien's shoulder.

And then time sped up. The arm that had been holding Adrien up buckled, and he fell right on top of her. A shout of extreme pain clawed through his throat, and she quickly moved to get him on the ground.

M. Agreste, who had shouted out at some point during the whole thing, was in between them and Vivian now.

"You made the wrong choice, Rossi." He growled. Marinette didn't care about Vivian or Gabriel- her hands trembling as she cupped Adrien's cheeks.

"Adrien!" She exclaimed. "Adrien, please, open your eyes!" Before she could see if he was going to follow her request or not, she took off her jacket and pressed it against his wound. He cried out in pain again, and Marinette's heart twisted in a way that she could've sworn that she felt exactly what he was going through.

"I-It's going to be okay." She told him, or herself. "You're going to be okay. We're going to get you to the hospital, and you're going to get through this."

Adrien, whose face was still scrunched up in what was clearly immense pain, managed to pry an eye open. He lifted up his left hand, and brushed some of the tears away. His whole arm was just as shaky as her own were.

"Princess…" He winced again when she pressed against the still bleeding wound even harder.

"You stupid cat!" She exclaimed. "What were you thinking!"

"I… had to keep you safe, Mari." He smiled at her, tears falling down his cheeks.

"It's not worth it if you die!" She shouted back. "I love you too much, Adrien! You have to stay with me!"

"I-I'll try." He promised. "Wh-Where's father?"

"Behind me." Marinette answered, taking a steading breath. "I think your bodyguard and Nathalie are outside to meet with the Police, and maybe call an ambulance if they haven't yet. I didn't see them." Adrien's hand slowly left her cheek and to her neck. When it touched her stinging wound she winced.

"Good." He breathed. "The doctors need to-to check that out."

"They'll be all over you first." Marinette pointed out, and Adrien laughed a bit. He winced when it moved his arm.

"As long as you're okay."

"I'm fine, I promise." Marinette sighed and leaned her forehead against Adrien's, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, both of his were staring at her.

"I love you, Marinette." He whispered. "I-I'll always take a bullet for you."

"I know." She breathed. "I might hate it, but I know you will. As long as you have know that I'll always take one for you too, okay?"

He smiled weakly at her, and Marinette could start to hear sirens going off in the distance.

"I know."

23965763297562736597629376597263957692376

When the Police had finally arrived (Vivian had interfered with the first call, but the second one was interference-free, which was why it was taking them so long), Gabriel had restrained Vivian and had tossed her outside for Nathalie and the Gorilla to deal with. Then he ran over to where his son and Marinette were sprawled out on the floor. Marinette had taken off her jacket to apply pressure to the wound, but he could tell that the blood had already soaked most of it. He'd pay to get her a new one, unless she had made it herself. Then he'd be sure to recreate it.

He knelt down beside them.

"Adrien, are you okay?" He asked. His son blinked up at him, face twisted in pain. A smile tugged at his son's lips.

"D-Does it look like I'm okay?" He asked. Gabriel's heart thudded in joy at the sound of his son's voice, a deep contrast to the fear and worry that he was feeling.

"The Ambulance is here, they're coming in to get you." He said, looking up at Marinette. The said girl smiled, blood still trickling down from the wound in her neck. "I called your parents, they'll be waiting at the Hospital with you and your friends."

"Thank you, M. Agreste."

"I think you've earned calling me Gabriel, Marinette." Marinette blinked, taken aback. Gabriel looked down at Adrien, who had an elated smile growing on his face.

"Adrien, do you think that you can get up?" Adrien blinked up at his father.

"Uh, I-I think so?" He winced and grunted as he managed to sit up. Gabriel took control of putting pressure on his wound as Marinette moved to support Adrien.

"Easy, we should wait until we have the Ambulance doctors here before you move anymore." Adrien leaned his head against Marinette's shoulder, a hiss escaping his lips. Gabriel nodded, and the workers came in. They rushed over and took over checking on Adrien, helping him stand and getting onto the ambulance. A worker even checked out Marinette's neck, placing a bandage on it until they could look further into it.

When Gabriel realized that they were going to be transported in separate vehicles, he refused.

"But M., only family is allowed in the Ambulance with the injured."

"Mlle. Marinette practically IS family. I think that you can make an exception."

"O-Of course, M."

Together, Gabriel and Marinette rode in the Ambulance next to each other. Adrien had been given some anesthesia so that the workers could get as much information to the doctor as possible.

"Marinette." He said softly.

"Yes, M. Agre- uh, Gabriel?"

"How… how long as my son been talking?" Marinette swallowed.

"A Month or so." She admitted. "He wanted to wait to tell you at just the right time- to surprise you."

A vague smile twitched on his lips as he looked down at his son.

 _What an Adrien thing to do._


	16. Chapter 16

"Time for gossip about the most popular news with Hailey, Daisy, and Sadie! Sadie here, and we've been told that Vivian Rossi was arrested by the police about a week ago. She is being charged with breaking her restraining order, the kidnapping and harming of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the kidnapping and attempted murder of Adrien Agreste, and the murder of Emilie Agreste. The Police and Gabriel Agreste himself have said that they plan to place more charges against her."

"Woah, hold up- the murder of Emilie Agreste? We finally know what actually happened to her instead of the lousy cover-up story they came up with?"

" _You're the only one who thought that it was a cover story, Hailey."_

"At least I was right."

"Yes, or at least we think so. We have the two testimonies of Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng to thank for that. They both said, and I quote- "She confessed to the attempted kidnap of Adrien Agreste and Murder of Emilie Agreste all those years ago." Pretty exciting, right?"

" _Unless you're her daughter, Lila Rossi. Poor girl doesn't have any other family besides her mother."_

"Vivian should've thought things through. We all know how much she loves her daughter. In Fact, we have heard that she might've done all of that in an attempt to give Lila a real family!"

" _As sweet as that is, she clearly went about it the wrong way."_

"Or maybe the way that made the most sense. See, we have records saying that Gabriel Agreste and Vivian Rossi were actually engaged for an Arranged Marriage by their parents! Gabriel and his family called it off two years before the wedding date, because they all liked Emilie more than Vivian."

" _Really? Then this is one intense love story! You know, the Romeo and Juliet kind!"_

"Why do you say that, Daisy?"

" _We have an Arranged Marriage between Gabriel and Vivian. Vivian clearly loved Gabriel, but Gabriel loved Emilie, who loved him back. After Gabriel and Emilie got married, things went downhill for Vivian. In an attempt to get the love of her life back, she attempts to kidnap his only son as blackmail. It backfires, ending up with Emilie dead and Gabriel Widowed. Then Adrien falls in love with Marinette, so Vivian attempts to kidnap Marinette so that she can… use her as blackmail..?"_

"Yeah, that part is unclear. Why kidnap Marinette? Adrien would've been more effective."

" _No one's released a statement concerning it either, unfortunately, but it's still a romantic story!"_

"In a strange, twisted way, I guess you're right."

"Speaking of Adrien Agreste- we've been told that he's still in the hospital, but there's a rumor going around that he actually went home yesterday, but under house arrest, until he's completely healed. Protective as ever, Gabriel Agreste."

"Yeah, we probably should've seen that coming, but what started that rumor?"

"Well, until yesterday, Marinette could be seen constantly visiting the Hospital. Now, she's visiting the Agreste Mansion instead."

" _Oh, aren't the two adorable together?!"_

"I certainly agree, but I know a lot of his fans that are probably upset about how their relationship has gone official. Let's just hope that something like this doesn't happen again!"

"Let's hope you didn't jinx it."

"Well, why don't we-"

283659723659762397567236572635637965792365

"Hey, I was watching that!" Adrien complained as Marinette walked back over to him.

"It's just news gossip." She rolled her eyes and sat down next to him, running a hand through his hair. He was laying down on his couch, pouting at the TV. His injured arm was wrapped up, and Marinette made sure to be careful when she leaned against him. They lay there in silence for a few seconds, comfortable with each other.

"Hey, Adrien?"

"Hm?"

"What… what are we going to do about Lila?"

"What do you mean?"

"Before now, she only had her mother, but now she doesn't have any parents." Marinette sighed. "I know more than anyone how mean she can be, and she always lies, but…" Adrien slowly sat up, and Marinette allowed him to. He looked her in the eye.

"You're feeling guilty." She nodded, almost shyly.

"I feel like we should apologize." Marinette said. "Or do something nice for her. She doesn't deserve to be parentless because of her mother's actions."

"I think apologizing would make it worse." Adrien pointed out, wrapping an arm around her and tucking her head under her chin. "But we could be there to support and help her through this. Maybe even befriend her."

"Chloe's not going to like us doing that." Marinette made a face, and he chuckled. She was just so cute!

"Neither is Alya, but I'm sure Nino would be chill about it. Three against two, we win, we help." Marinette giggled at that, snuggling into his chest with a light sigh.

"You're going to have to help me a lot." Marinette pointed out. "Lila and I don't exactly get along. If she decides to drape herself all over you I'm gonna throw the whole thing away."

"And here I thought I was possessive." Marinette lightly slapped his left arm, and he chuckled. "We can start it tomorrow, when I get back to school, okay?"

"Okay." She sighed.

23796597236579367596237965729657326

Turns out, they didn't even need to do anything. The second Adrien and Marinette (who had come over to his house to walk with him to school) had arrived, not even Chloe, Alya, or Nino had greeted them first.

It was Lila.

"I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, skidding to a stop before them and eyes wide. She had circles under them as well, her hair out of her normal do and clothes disheveled. "About what my mother did! I had absolutely no idea, I swear."

"Lila." Adrien placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down, and she blinked at his voice. Marinette stood a bit closer to him too, just in case. "It's okay, we know that you didn't know."

"If there is anything," She said sincerely, surprising Marinette. "Anything that I can do to make it up to you, I'll do it. I'm not lying- I really, truly will do whatever you ask of me."

Marinette couldn't help but smile as Adrien did- although his was a teasing one.

"Hm, let's see… Marinette, my lady, do you have any ideas?" He asked, looking down at her. Marinette blinked in slight shock, but then she smiled. Lila looked absolutely horrified, and as much as Marinette wanted Lila to pay for her bullying everyone, she had learned from her experiences with Chloe that that definitely was not the way to go about doing this.

"Lila, if you really think that you need to make it up to us, the best way to do that would be to prove that you're not your mother." Adrien smiled approvingly, and Marinette blossomed in the feeling.

"What do you mean?" Lila asked, confused.

"Be nice." Adrien described, looking back at Lila. "Stop it with the lies and manipulation, or at least try to. Become a better person."

"And you can start, by apologizing and befriending them." Marinette gestured behind Lila, to where Alya, Nino, and Chloe were rushing down the stairs.

"Adri-kins!" Chloe exclaimed, hugging him in a gentle way and clearly weary of his wound. "Oh, I'm so glad you're safe!"

"Excuse me?" Alya asked, and Chloe rolled her eyes with a smirk.

"Oh, I'm glad you're okay too, Marinette." Marinette snorted, accepting the hug offered from Alya.

"Bro, you gave us a scare for a while!" Nino exclaimed, lightly slapping Adrien's back.

"Sorry." He apologized sheepishly, locking eyes with Marinette. She smiled back at him from her hug with Alya.

"Don't you ever scare me like that ever again, you hear me?" Alya scolded, pushing out of the hug to start to properly lecture Marinette.

"I thought that we already had this conversation." Marinette rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm your best friend, so I have the right to do it again."

"Um…" Everyone grew silent at Lila's voice, and the said girl shifted awkwardly. "Alya, Nino, Chloe… I'm sorry, I-"

"Dude, don't get your hair in a twist." Nino rolled his eyes. "We all know what Adrien and Marinette said you could do."

"You did?"

"Duh, I mean, you can't become best friends with someone and not know how they think." Nino laughed. "Of course we'll forgive you, but you're gonna have to work to gain our trust."

"I agree with shell face." Alya left her hug with Marinette to join her boyfriend, and Marinette subtly made her way back to Adrien too. Chloe was watching Lila through squinted eyes, and the tension was clearly palpable.

"Us girls hang out every Friday afternoon for a Spa Treatment." She finally said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Don't be late."

All of the tension visibly left Lila, and she smiled.

"I won't, promise."


	17. Epilogue

_**TWO YEARS LATER**_

70869758647564263869870867554657898798

"Thanks for coming here to do this with me." Lila said softly as they hopped out of the car. Adrien and Marinette followed. "I know how hard this must be for you, to come here with me."

"You're our friend, Lila." Marinette smiled, intertwining her hand together with her fiance's. "Of course we'll come here to support you."

"But surely the two of you must be busy, preparing to take over Agreste Industries."

"Father said that we could have the day off for this reason." Adrien admitted as they walked into the building. "The whole day, not just part of it. Really, we should be thanking you." Lila gave him a weak, nervous smile before going up to the desk.

"What can I help you with today, Mme.?" The security guard there asked.

"I have an appointment to talk with my mother, Vivian Rossi." The security guard didn't even blink at the name.

"Ah, I see. Go ahead and take a seat, we'll be out to bring you to her when we're ready." Lila nodded and let out a small breath, moving to sit down on one of the benches. Adrien and Marinette followed her.

"It's okay." Marinette counseled, placing a hand over Lila's, which was shaking. "We're going to be right here with you, every second of the way."

"Thanks." Lila's reply was short and nervous, but she gave the two of them a thankful smile before falling silent. Adrien and Marinette did as well, and it reminded her about how things used to be, before Adrien started to use his voice.

Even though it was only about three years ago now, it still felt like it was just yesterday that Adrien had started to laugh. Some people, once they met him, had a hard time believing that he had been silent for most of his years as a teen. Nowadays he laughed, ranted, talked business, punned/joked, sang, etc.

And she loved it.

She adored how verbal he had become- his words accenting his actions and never failing to make her weak in the knees. She knew that Gabriel couldn't be prouder of Adrien, although her fiance believed otherwise.

She leaned into him, placing her head in just the right spot so that it was comfortable for both of them, but she could still hear his heartbeat. Adrien silently chuckled and moved his arm so that he could wrap it around her, making her feel safe.

Marinette knew that he still had nightmares. Heck, she still had trouble sleeping after that confrontation with Vivian! They always comforted each other when one awoke from one though.

Sometimes, after Adrien's more vivid dreams, he wouldn't say anything at all and just cry. He described it as his vocal cords being squeezed by his throat and preventing him from making noise, but he always spoke to her in the end and it made her all the more grateful. She never wanted Adrien to go silent ever again, and neither did anyone else.

"Lila Rossi and visitors, we're ready for you." A security guard said, coming out of a room. Adrien and Marinette smiled supportively at Lila, and Lila smiled back at them. Together, they followed the guard past the room and into a different one. There were about ten stalls, but only one of them had someone in it. They had glass separating the two, and there were phones on the walls.

In the only one that was occupied was the one and only Vivian Rossi, wearing the orange female prison suit and older than ever. Lila sat down across from her, with Adrien and Marinette standing behind her. Lila closed her eyes and took a deep breath before reaching for the phone. Vivian did as well.

"Hello, mother."

"Hello, my sweet Lila." Tears came to the other woman's eyes. "Oh, Lila, I- you've grown so much."

"I know." The emotion in both of their voices made Marinette want to cry, but she wouldn't. Not right now. She tightened her hold on Adrien's hand, and he squeezed it back.

"I wish I could've been there for you." A tear was starting to fall down Vivian's cheek. "Oh, my sweet Lila, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, mother." Lila smiled. "You don't have to apologize. Not to me, anyway. I know why you did what you did, and I have to admit it was sweet of you, but…"

"I got what I deserved." Vivian nodded. "I know."

97086954736357980865436587097968543657809654

After they got home, Marinette collapsed onto the couch in Adrien's room. Adrien chuckled when she spluttered at Tikki, who had decided to jump on Marinette and make her her bed.

"Tikki~!" Marinette groaned, glaring at the calico cat. Plagg soon joined his fellow feline on top of Marinette's stomach, and Adrien outright laughed. "It's not funny."

"Oh, but it is." Adrien said, leaning down to give his fiance a kiss on her forehead. "You know that they never do that to me."

"That's because you tease them." Marinette huffed. "Are we still going for the D&D triple date at 5?"

"Yup." Adrien nodded and stretched, letting out a loud yawn. Before he could go and do something however, Marinette grabbed his hand. He looked down at her, and for not the last time he was swallowed up in their impossibly blue depths.

"I love you." She said so sincerely that his heart would never stop skipping.

"I love you too." He said in a soft, breathless voice. The two of them shared a soft smile before leaning in for a kiss.


End file.
